One group, one goal

Jay County High School has never had a freshman compete on the varsity squad at the state fair.
That will change Saturday.
Seven Patriot freshmen will take the mat as part of a 24-member JCHS squad as it tries for the title in the large varsity division at the Indiana State Fair cheerleading competition.
Mindy Weaver, who is in her 34th season coaching the Jay County cheerleaders, said she sometimes just needs to try something new, but she also made the change because was looking toward the future of the program as she nears retirement.
“I’m thinking these young girls, by the time they’re seniors, they’re going to have a lot of experience,” Weaver said. “That will be good for the program.”
So this season, freshmen Sierra Trobridge, Katie Witt, Miranda Hibbard, Madison Miller, Menausha VanSkyock, Mallory Marshall and Erica Swingley are all varsity cheerleaders.
“It’s a big difference from being in junior high, but I like it,” said Witt, who was part of East Jay Middle School’s 2010 state fair championship squad. “It’s harder. You work a lot more and they ask a lot more of you.”
Alexis Cook, one of the squad’s four seniors along with Jenna Barber, Makayla Jobe and Lauren Runkle, said she was nervous when she found out the freshmen would be joining the varsity squad. But her concerns have faded away, especially during the final week of practice before the state fair competition.
“When I was a freshman, I know I didn’t take it that serious,” said Cook of her concerns. “I love cheerleading, but I wasn’t afraid of messing up. Now I don’t want to mess up. …
“It was kind of hard to transition. This past week … it’s finally come together.”
Weaver said she knew this year’s group of freshmen had good tumbling skills that could instantly benefit the varsity program, which finished second in the state fair competition a year ago.
Having just a single squad, which also includes juniors Ericka Reynolds, Kaitlyn Miller, Olivia Cash, Charis Beitler, Brea Burcham and Cydney Huey and sophomores Morgan Brown, Rhianon Mills Carli Ostrowski, Chelsea Russell, Alexis Murrell, Laurann Schoenlein and Bryttani Knight, also gave Weaver the ability to take all of her high school cheerleaders to Universal Cheerleader’s Association camp in June. In recent years, only the varsity squad had attended UCA camp.
And while focusing on cheerleading around the clock for four days may have been a shock to the system for the newcomers, it ended up being a positive experience.
“UCA was really fun,” said Trobridge. “It was really tiring, but it was fun. I felt like I learned a lot from it.”
Weaver said she saw her freshmen grow as they were thrown into varsity evaluations and had to learn quickly. And being at the UCA camp at Indiana University pushed the group much further in building mounts than it would have gone as a junior varsity squad.
The Patriots finished third in the camp championships and earned a superior trophy for their efforts during the week. So while there were some growing pains, Weaver said she’s been happy with the results.
“I’ll admit that there might have been a time when I wondered, ‘Why did I do this?’ because they were overwhelmed at some points,” she said. “But they got through it. I think they’ll be better off for it.
“I have a great group of sophomores, juniors and seniors … who were just supportive. If anyone was having problems, they just took them aside and … reassured them and worked with them. That was very positive. So it was … positive for my older girls too. I … have some quiet seniors, and they really stepped up and in a positive way got the whole squad through.”
Trobridge agreed the upperclassmen have supported them through what could have been a difficult transition.
“They’ve helped a lot,” she said. “They’ve been so nice to us. … They made it feel easier … and not as intimidating.”
The Jay County cheerleaders will continue to work as one unit into the school year as all 24 will take to the sidelines at the Patriots’ five home football games. Half the squad will travel to road football games.
For basketball season, the cheerleaders will split into two squads, varsity and junior varsity, as they have in the past.
But for state fair, they are together — one group, with one goal.
“I think we have a good chance to win,” said Cook. “If we do what we’ve been doing, everything is tight … I definitely think we have a chance.”
Fellow senior Jenna Barber, who along with Cook was honored at UCA camp as an All American and invited to apply to become an instructor, recalled that the JCHS junior varsity squad finished as the state fair runner-up during her freshman season in 2009. The varsity squad earned the state title in 2010 before finishing in second place last summer.
She’s hoping Jay County can complete the pattern Saturday with another state title. And she feels the freshmen are ready to help reach that goal.
“At first it was a little shaky, but it’s gotten a lot better,” Barber said. “They’ve come a long way. Some of them had mental blocks … and we’ve talked to them and helped them overcome it …
“I’m proud of them.”[[In-content Ad]]