BRIDGEPORT – The Bulldogs cheerleading team is off to an excellent start for the cheering season, winning first place at the Minerva Turkey Tumble Nov. 15. Cheer coach Kaylynn Yates is proud of her cheerleaders and they are ready to go far.
She said three schools of similar size competed.
Yates’ high school cheerleaders scored 92 out of 100 points.
“It’s our first competition of the season, and we were also only about a point away from grand champions, which was the highest score in our division,” she said. “We were judged on our choreography, our faces, spirits, motion technique and how well our routine was put together.”
She added the junior high cheerleaders also did well.
“This is their first year competing in six years, and they got third place in their division.”
Yates was thrilled to see the cheerleaders’ practice pay off.
“It was exciting. I knew that they really nailed it at the end and I was excited for them and seeing them smile and know that they did a good job too,” she said. Yates recalled the moment of victory. “They started jumping up and down and were super excited.”
She added the cheerleaders can take the early win as a sign that more good things are within reach.
“It’s a really good confidence booster and is getting them excited for the rest of the year to know that if they put their mind to it, anything can happen.”
The team is following up last school year’s exceptional season, which included their first Ohio Valley Athletic Conference championship.
Yates said the team dynamics have come together. They are a good mix of veteran cheerleaders who want to conclude their high school cheer careers on a high note, and newcomers who have had their first taste of victory.
“We have four seniors, the rest are returning out of nine, and we have two freshmen on the squad and they really put in the work and dedication and have shown their strong skills as well.”
Neither are they lacking in the leadership department. Yates has earned the recognition of her peers and was recently named Coach of the Month by the Ohio High School Athletic Cheerleading Coaches Association.
The cheerleaders’ next match will be the Mac Competition on Dec. 21 at Edison Local High School.
“We’ll go back and review our score sheets from this past competition and work on the little things and hopefully next time we can nail everything across the board.”
Cheer captains Ariel Bennett and Chloe Cuiksa, both seniors, have been taking an active role in planning the cheer routine that got them their first win. They said the team is working on routines that emphasize formation, technique, the jumps as well as their facial expressions.
Bennett is optimistic.
“I feel like it’ll be a good season, especially with that first win. It gave the freshmen a good look on what the competition is like,” she said.
“I feel like going into our first competition the freshmen were very scared and worried about how they would perform,” Bennett said. “After this win, they said they feel so much more confident with the routine, so I feel like that helped them a lot.”
Cuiksa agreed.
“It was eye-opening, especially to see the younger ones develop into such good athletes,” she said. The captains set high standards and the freshmen met the challenge. “They really put in that effort to make us proud, and they definitely did.”
Cuiska added they are practicing hard and attending to all the details.
“We have to perform as a team to win as a team. If everyone’s not understanding everything, the win isn’t going to be there.”
They have ambition for this season. Bennett hopes to meet and exceed their prior accomplishments.
“We definitely want to become OVAC two-time champions. We want to get that reward again. Our freshman year we got Best in the State, and probably that’s a good one to try and get again,” Bennett said.
Cuiksa is confident in the team.
“I’m looking forward to a two-time OVAC win for us because we worked really hard to become the program we are, and it’s definitely something we deserve,” she said.
“I want to see that OVAC win and maybe a state win,” she said. “We definitely have the routine and the people to do it.”
