Cheerleaders' hard work brings sense of pride

Back row, l to r: Coach Debbie Iverson, Tiffany Heishman, Macy Taylor, Vanessa Minner and Assisstant Coach Kelsie Sheets, front row, l to r: Madison Dawley, Kaylin Hansen and Destiny Romberg pose after competing on Nov. 5.

by Vincent Bushong

For the first time, the Montezuma football cheerleading squad competed in the Iowa Cheerleading Championships, placing fifth  out of seven. The competition, sponsored by the Iowa Cheerleading Coaches’ Association, took place at the Iowa State Fair Ground’s Varied Industries Building on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The competition helped the girls improve their skills by focusing on  sharpening their movements and meeting the criteria for the judging.

Junior Macy Taylor said, “It helped us work together a lot more. It brought us together as friends and as a team.”

Senior Kaylin Hansen said, “Doing the competition gave us experience. We had fun putting a routine together; I feel we did pretty well for our first year doing competition.”

The schools competing were grouped into different divisions; first, they were broken down into the type of cheer they would perform, including non-stunt mounts, cheer dances, group stunts and sideline performances. Montezuma’s squad performed under the sideline category. Secondly, the teams were divided into school size, either by class (1A through 4A) or simply by “Large School” or “Small School,” if there were few participants in the category of stunt. Montezuma fell under “Small School” size.

The judging criteria for the sideline performances were split into three categories: cheering fundamentals, appeal and projection and perfection of routine. A total amount of 100 points was possible. 

Assistant Coach Kelsie Sheets said, “It created a spark in the girls to work harder and excel more than they already have.” 

The competition was the last football cheerleading competition the girls will attend this year, marking the senior girls’ last football cheer activity of their high school career. 

“I hope next year’s squad will be able to do competition as well,” Hansen said.