WHS cheerleaders take District 3A title

 The Wolverines are coached by Nicole Ramirez. This is her second year as head coach and her sixth year with the Wolverines having spent four years as JV coach. 

 The team also competed at the Treasure Valley Cheer Invitational (TVCI) on Jan. 21. As the first competition of the season, the goal with TVCI is to get the competition routines in front of judges and get key feedback to prepare for the district championship.

 The Wolverines swept the competition at TVCI, and while the energy of success at TVCI was a boost to the team’s morale as they prepared for districts, the feedback from the judges was minimal. Ramirez shared that she was unsure what to focus on as they headed into districts.

 The first competition for the district championship was the sideline division. The cheerleaders are judged on their stunting, cheer skills, crowd leading and jumps. This year’s sideline routine was choreographed and written by Weiser High School cheerleader alum and Coach Ramirez’s daughter, Tyra Ramirez.  

 In the sideline competition, Weiser received not only first place, but received very high marks from the judges. The Wolverines received praise for their  jumps, their energy, their creativity and their crowd involvement. Homedale took second in the 3A sideline with Payette placing third.  

 Weiser not only received the top scores in 3A, they tied with Bishop Kelly for the top score in the 4A and scored higher than all 5A teams other than Nampa. 

 In the pom division, the cheerleaders perform a one-minute routine set to music. They are judged on their synchronization, formations and spacing, use of floor, transitions, level changes, and use of poms as well as overall visual effect and energy of the team. 

 Weiser scored high enough to not only win the 3A division but also scored higher than all 4A teams other than Bishop Kelly. They earned high marks for energy and clean transitions, but the judges did suggest that the team should work on their jumps as well as add more dynamic motions and level changes. Ramirez shared that improving this routine will be a focus as they prepare for state. 

 The biggest competition of the district championship is the show cheer division. The show cheer is a two and a half minute routine that must contain at least one cheer or chant and a musical segment of at least 45 seconds. This routine showcases the entire scope of cheer skills from elite stunting and pyramids, to tumbling, jumps, dance, poms, and use of signs and props.  

 The show cheer results were the most nerve wracking for the Wolverines because after their performance they were informed that they had received an eight point technical deduction. This was especially disappointing because Weiser had performed the routine the exact same way at TVCI and the judges did not notice the problem with the routine at that time. 

 With the deduction, the Wolverines were much more nervous about their final scores. Even with the deduction, however, Weiser scored a 251.5. They were given high marks for their elite stunting, creative transitions, energy, loud voices, and use of signs. Judges suggested they work on their pyramid timing as well as timing on their tumbling. 

 Ramirez wanted to give a special shout out to the Weiser parents. During the competition, Weiser had the loudest cheering section supporting them. Before the performance the parents started cheering and really helped the girls bring the energy to the floor. Ramirez said that the crowd gave her chills. During the sideline and show cheer the crowd involvement not only helped with the energy but also helped the girls score higher on crowd involvement scores. 

 The cheer season is very long. The squad begins workouts throughout the summer, and starts officially working on the choreography for competition in August. Throughout the months of supporting the football and basketball teams, with at least two games a week, they finally get to compete for their first competition of their own at the end of January. 

 This year was especially challenging with one of their seniors getting injured just a week before TVCI. Ramirez said that two of her freshmen really stepped up to step into the routines with just a few practices. 

 Ramirez shared that she is very proud of this team for overcoming those struggles. She saw their adrenaline kick in at just the right time and all their hard work paid off with great performances.