by Elizabeth Ostrem and Natalie Kirton
On Nov. 5th, the Montezuma cheerleaders will be competing for the first time at the Iowa Cheerleading Championships.
This competition is sponsored by the Iowa Cheerleading Coaches’ Association (ICCA), and will have competitors from five different divisions. These divisions include Class 1A and 2A, Class 3A and 4A, Large 4A division, Co-ed and an open division for squads with less than 8 girls. Montezuma cheerleaders that will be performing are seniors Madison Dawley, Destiny Romberg and Kaylin Hansen, junior Macy Taylor, sophomore Tiffany Heishman and freshman Vanessa Minner. Not attending is junior Halley Ogan, due to previous engagements. “I feel it will be a great opportunity for the girls to step out of their comfort zones and try something completely new,” said Kelsie Sheets, assistant coach. “It allows them to show what they have learned and also to experience the abilities of others.”
Performances will be one minute in length. Judges will critique squads on precision in execution and the content of the performance. The evaluation will not be influenced by jumps, stunts, or the crowd’s reaction.
“It has been very difficult coming up with a one-minute cheer. The cheer has to be original, and then all of the girls have to learn the difficult movements,” said Sheets.
Although it is a “championship,” the main reason squads go is to get critiqued. Plaques will be awarded to the top scoring teams in the three divisions, but otherwise there are no specified winners .The event will be held at Varied Industries Building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The Montezuma squad will be performing at 9:20 a.m.
The cheerleaders were very inspired to take on this kind of challenge after hearing their summer cheer camp instructors talk about their own experiences at state competitions.
“Practicing and preparing for a competition such as this is very time consuming,” said Sheets. “Every motion has to be perfect and on the correct count. There is a lot of practice involved and a lot of patience from every end.”
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