BRIDGEPORT – The cheerleaders of Bridgeport High School have leveraged hard work and talent into a winning season and are placing high at the local and state levels. This weekend they will be heading to Wheeling University to once again compete in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.
Head cheerleading coach Kaylynn Yates said 2026 has started off strong. She was proud to see her cheerleaders’ drive pay off in a first-place victory at Harrison Hills City School District the first weekend in January, followed Jan. 17 by a first-place win at Union Local Showdown in the Hangar Competition where Bridgeport cheerleaders competed against cheering teams from five other schools and were named Grand Champions.
Then the Bridgeport Bulldogs competed successfully at the regional level Jan. 18.
Most recently, the cheerleaders competed at the Ohio High School Cheerleading Coaches Association Best of the State at Hilliard Darby High School in Columbus Jan. 24. They placed third out of eight.
“It was a very close competition. First place scored 92.8 and second and third tied with a 92.6.”
The cheerleaders are also training for the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators state competition Feb. 20. Top cheering teams from across the state will be there.
“They were super excited. This is the first time that they’re going back to the state competition in I think three years.”
Now in her third year as head cheerleading coach, Yates has led her team to some impressive accomplishments in prior years including a victory at the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference. The cheerleaders bought into the program and earned their wins.
“We’ve just been every year getting better and better and the girls have been putting in a lot of work, and the amount of time they put in is starting to show often.”
They have a strong team of four seniors, one junior, two sophomores and two freshmen. Yates said the new cheerleaders have been putting in the work and the seniors have stepped up.
“They’re very good leaders and they’re willing to help the underclassmen as they need it.”
Senior Ariel Bennett said she and her fellow upperclassmen are aiming to close out their last year with more victories for the Bulldogs.
“It feels great because we’ve never had such a good winning comp season like this. I think it helps a lot because everybody on the team is willing to actually put their all in it.”
Bennett said the seniors are taking an active role in planning the choreography and emphasizing their strong points.
“It’s exciting, because the last time we went to states was my freshman year and we were against around 20 schools and we got seventh, so I’m excited to see if we can do better.”
She is anticipating competing at the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.
“My main goal is just to win the OVAC championship again, because last year was our first year ever winning for cheer. We’re just preparing by practicing a lot.”
Chloe Cuiksa said little gains add up.
“It’s a well-deserved multiple win streak, because there’s not a single time where I think no one’s ever not putting in their full effort, because we want to win so badly. It’s our determination. Every single time we get a score sheet, we fix something and we hope to see progress within the score sheets from the judges. Each time we fix something, we try to do better.”
She said their motion placement has significantly improved and they have incorporated more jumps and difficult techniques. Cuiksa said one of their strengths is how well they work as a team.
“When we need to figure something out, we get it figured out,” she said. “Our rebound rate is very quick.”
She said currently they are working on endurance and training to build stamina. They are always asking what they need to improve and show well in the regional and state venues.
“What can we do to make the routine better to win these bigger competitions?” she said. “How can we better ourselves to make the team better?”
Cuiksa said the senior cheerleaders work well together.
“It helps that we all grew up cheering with each other. It’s a very close-knit senior group.”
Liberty Chambers said momentum is on their side.
“Having this winning streak is definitely helping us continue winning because we know how it feels to win and we like the feeling of winning, so it pushes us to continue working hard, and we keep motivating each other.”
She added the freshmen cheerleaders have shown more confidence throughout the season. The team is ready for the challenge ahead.
“Going into OVACs is definitely scary because last year we won for the first time ever,” she said. “We just continue practicing hard. We practice every day.”
Taelor Bowers agreed.
“We have great underclassmen. They take critiques and corrections very well. They’ve definitely gotten more comfortable. They speak up too to help us help them.”
Bowers and the rest of the team credit Yates.
“Coach Kay really puts in a lot of work. She always sacrifices her time with her family she always puts in work to help us get better. She’s always motivating us and she always pushes us to do our best.”
Bridgeport High School Principal Jack Fisher had praise for the team.
“I’m incredibly proud of our girls for their success. They have been putting in a ton of great work and it is clearly showing and paying off. They are building a program that that is acknowledged all around, and that is a testament to their dedication and work ethic, as well as the tremendous leadership and coaching from Coach Kay. I am very proud of them and looking forward to a lot of success for many years.”
