The cheer team returned on Tuesday this week from the National High School Cheerleading Championship held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The championship lasted from Feb. 7 to Feb. 10 with 1286 schools competing from 34 different states. The Creek Cheer team placed second overall in large coed varsity, Division 1, game day routine with a score of 92.5; just 1.4 points short of first. The Team made district history; not only advancing to national finals, but receiving silver medals too.
“They put on two really good performances.” Coach Janel Jackson said. “I was happy to see the judges rewarded them accordingly. This was really meaningful, and It doesn’t get any bigger than this.”
Cheer began participation in coed tournaments six years ago. The program directly cooperates with the football program to recruit boys to join; making it unique from other cheer programs in the district. Of the ten boys on the team all are football players.
“The discipline instilled in football, the athleticism, transfers between the programs,” Athletic Director Kendall Hineman said. “We want the kids to treat others with respect and do their very best (in their programs). (Participating in both) creates a well rounded individual. A lot of these guys from football, they’re with guys all the time. You add them with the ladies, it’s a totally different dynamic, which will only help them when they get older”
The cheer team’s pivotal moment was two years after incorporating coed; receiving their first UIL state medal. Since then, the team has seen consistent improvement
“I think that set the new standard for the program and created an additional confidence for the athletes coming in,” Jackson said. “Each year they’re taking the standard up another level, and the program just keeps growing. This is just another milestone”
Last year, the team made district history; titled UIL state champions. This year they placed fifth in state. Advancing state was a victory itself, but team captain Lysette Torres felt crushed anyway.
“We took that shame and feeling of defeat and used that as motivation for Nationals,” Torres said. “We just really worked as hard as we could, stayed extra hours, did everything we could in our free time, made our whole life cheer. Once you realize that all you’re working for is for something greater than yourself, and that’s what really motivates you.”
The NHSCC competition is separate from the National Cheer Association competition from last year. NHSCC is run by the Universal Cheer Association, where schools from all over the world compete. Not only does it have stricter qualifications, but also introduces more competitively challenging teams.
“It’s really extremely competitive,” Jackson said. “It’s the most prestigious cheer competition in the United States, no, the world. This is the biggest, This is the pinnacle (in the cheer world).”
This is year’s tournaments served as majority of the team’s first real experience in competitive cheer on a national level. This year’s national team has had the most competing underclassman in school history, with eight seniors, five juniors, eight sophomores, and ten freshmen.
“They were determined, but also they didn’t really know what to expect (referring to UIL), because they had never been there; they didn’t understand,” Jackson said. “It was just a lot of pressure on the kids, but they handled it really well. They had a lot of grace, a lot of maturity”
Six schools could advance from semi-finals. Fueled by their experience in UIL; they were titled finalists, only 1.3 points behind first in the semi-finals. Senior Brandon Spoerle says he couldn’t help but feel shaky the whole second day.
“We knew coming in the second day we had to go hard; we had to 100% make it our best run, or else we were gonna get caught (by the other teams),” Spoerle said. “That’s what pushed me. We knew we had to catch that first team we were just right behind, I wasn’t coming home without a medal around my neck.”
Only the top three finalists receive a medal, the rest go home empty handed. Placements were announced starting from sixth; meanwhile the team sat hand-in-hand, some even prayed; anticipating the name “Caney Creek”
“Just as soon as they said fourth, and it wasn’t us and we knew we were in the medal From there it was real, we were like, oh shoot, we made it,” Spoerle said. “Getting second place was insane. Just sitting there shaking and nervous, but then hearing our names called out, it was great and I couldn’t believe it.”
Jackson believes this is just setting the standard for next year, considering the team is underclassman. Principal Dr. Terri Benson also highlighted Jackson’s consistent investments in the intermediate, elementary, and middle school cheer programs.
“It starts at an early age,” Benson said. “We don’t have gyms out here for private cheerleading, so if we don’t invest in these younger students, then that program is not going to grow. We’re not going to be at a competitive level. And so by the sacrifice these students make by volunteering their time at the elementaries and the junior high, it feeds the program”
Benson’s been a notable supporter of the program; choosing to attend UIL and watch NHSCC live from home. She pointed out the noticeable improvement between the UIL and NHSCC performances.
“They hit every mark, every lift, every stunt, they were on fire. It was perfection. I had no doubt they were going to bring home a medal,” Benson said. “’I’m going to tell you that the Caney Creek Panther, the Caney Creek High School student, demonstrates that no matter what happens today, we’re gonna have a better tomorrow, and we’re not gonna stop the work. We keep working, and even if we do win, we keep working to get better. That is, that is the definition of the character and the discipline and the work ethic of the student at Caney Creek.”
