Menu
Cheerleaders claim honors at state finals
Despite a mistimed move during an earlier event, the Mountain Home High School cheerleading squad rallied to finish first in a follow up performance at this year's state championships March 20.
The Mountain Home squad traveled to the finals in Boise following their award-winning finish at the district championships earlier this month at Meridan High School.
Timing issues during a stunt in their sideshow performance earlier in the day cost the squad several points, dropping them to seventh place going into the final rounds. The two-and-a-half minute routine blended traditional cheering with tumbling, stunts and dance moves set to music.
"It was rough at the beginning," Coach Lucky Allison said.
Tyree Harmon ended up with a bloody nose during that mistimed maneuver when he got smacked in the face.
Despite the injury, Harmon and the rest of the team kept pace to finish their performance.
"They pulled it off with no hesitation," she said.
Mountain Home's strong performance during the routine allowed them to stay just a few points behind the first-place contender, making it a close competition, Allison said. All the tumbling, proper arm motions, jump height, awesome stunts and confident attitudes made the difference on their score over the minor timing issues and stunt mishap, she added.
The team came back strong during the second half of the day's competition, according to the Mountain Home coach.
"There were such strong emotions once that 2 1/2 minute routine was over," the coach said. The team reached deep down to focus on the months of hard work that got them to the state championships.
Mountain Home's 15-person squad faced off against 10 highly competitive schools during the sideline cheer event -- a 90 second performance typical of "being a regular cheerleader," Allison said.
Due to the team's limited roster, tournament officials blended the Mountain Home team with squads from Burley and Kuna to bring their ranks on par with larger schools competing this year. This doesn't usually happen, Allison said.
In the end, Mountain Home proved it had the right level of motivational skills and athletic abilities after a first-place finish for their sideline cheer. The team's final score propelled them up the ranks to finish third in the grand championship standings.
"The cheerleaders amazed me again this year," the coach said. "I'm so proud of everyone for all their months of dedication and hard work."
Over the past 10 months, the team faced two significant setbacks in their quest for the state crown. One cheerleader was injured while another was sidelined a week before the district championships due to a chronic medical condition.
Despite those hurdles, the team pulled together "and made it all work," Allison said.