Leading the Way: How the CHS Cheer Team Placed Second at Nationals!

 In January 2022, Cabot High School’s cheerleading team competed at Nationals. The competition took place in Dallas, Texas, and hosted over 300 cheerleading teams. The coaches of the CHS cheerleading team are Kristen Sumler and Ashley Cooper. Team Captains Karis Martin and Gracen Thurman worked together to drive the team towards their goals. 

Competition is a crucial part of the cheerleading sport, and it is a major component of their practice sessions. 

“Competing is one of my favorite parts about cheerleading. I’m a really competitive person and getting to go out there with my team is something I really enjoy,” senior Madison Rownd said.  

Cheerleading opens up to numerous opportunities, such as scholarship money, new relationships, the discovery of different places, and added experience in the sport. 

“I like the chances I have had to go to different places. And the people I get to create connections with. It’s really fun to see what new people and things I get to meet and explore,” sophomore Shealy Ray said. 

Competitions are a major part of the sport, and the cheerleaders spend a lot of their practice time preparing and coming up with different choreographies to show off at the contest. 

“Before competitions, I stretch to work on my jumps, I practice to work on the routines, and I review what I’m supposed to do,” added Ray. 

Cabot scored 96.6 in the competition, which landed them in 2nd place. The first half of the contest, which took place on January 23, counted towards 25% of the performance score. The other half, occurring on January 24, counted for 75% of the team’s performance score. 

Pictures Provided by Ashely Cooper