JC cheerleaders vying for Orlando trip

The Patriot cheerleaders have focused on the state fair competition for the last couple of decades, typically finishing at or near the top of the pack.
They didn’t get the chance to prove themselves on that stage this year, as inclement weather washed out the competition. Fortunately, they already had another goal in site.
They’re now hoping to earn the opportunity to test themselves against the best in the nation.
The Jay County High School cheerleading squad will compete Sunday afternoon in the Hoosier Championship at Pendleton Heights High School with a bid to the Universal Cheerleaders Association National High School Cheerleading Championship on the line.
Cheerleaders from JCHS have been to the UCA nationals just twice in the school’s 42-year history, the last trip coming in 1989. They will try for berth No. 3 when they take the mat at 12:36 p.m. Sunday.
“It’s been a long time, said Abby Champ, whose sister, Andrea, was part of the last national squad that was coached by their aunt Mindy Weaver. “We started talking about it, actually, a couple years ago. We looked at the middle schools and we knew it would take a few years to conform and get things ready. The current freshman class we just thought, we knew we only had a few seniors going out, and we had a bunch of talented freshman coming in. … We thought this would be the time to try it.”
The preparation for the attempt began long before this year, with the 2014-15 squad returning to the Indiana Cheer Championship for the first time in about a decade.

It was a gauge to see where the Patriots were in their skills on a different stage and against different competition than they see at the state fair.
Champ and her assistant coaches weren’t sure if their squad would even make it past the preliminary round. It did, and then finished second to perennial powerhouse Pendleton Heights.
Last season, they stepped away from the Indiana Cheer Championship to focus on building their skills. A group of high schoolers worked on their stunt abilities while the entire group plus eighth graders — this year’s freshmen — targeted tumbling in an effort to make it the squad’s signature skill.
“Tumbling at that point was a little weaker for us, but we knew those girls who were eighth graders at the time were going to come in with tumbling,” said Champ. “So we focused our older girls on that.”
After a long summer practicing for a state fair competition that never happened, each cheerleader had to decide whether they wanted to continue on, practicing for months, in the effort to earn a spot in nationals. The group pared down to 17, nine of whom are part of the class of 2020.
“It’s different,” said Kenna Kahlig, who is part of that big freshman group. “And with as much work as you put into it, it’s fun to see the outcome of it.”
“This is the fun stuff,” added sophomore Randi Ferguson.
The Patriots returned to Indiana Cheer Championship, a key chance to test themselves after the state fair competition was canceled, and placed fourth at the Nov. 5 state finals.
JCHS has spent the last few weeks adjusting its routine for the Universal Cheer Association score sheet, which emphasizes different skills.
Among the key changes are the elimination of some of the jumps and dance, and the addition of signs and poms. The squad has also changed its stunt sequence, adding some elements and making others more difficult.
Junior Breea Liette sees the Patriots first stunt as key to confidence, especially for such a young group.
“If the stunts hit, I would say we’re going to do really well,” said Liette, whose sister, Alexus, is Jay County’s lone senior.
The Hoosier Championship, which will include 25 squads from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, is not a situation where the winner takes all or the top three are guaranteed a spot in Orlando. Instead, squads must achieve a specified total on the 100-point scoresheet in order to move on.
Champ noted that because squads are coming off of the Indiana Cheer Championship just two weeks ago, judges may award bids to squads that come up just short of the threshold but show the ability to compete at the national level.
“When it’s all said and done, the placement doesn’t matter to us,” said JCHS assistant coach Ashley Loucks. “It’s about the bid.”
A bid would earn them the chance to compete against about 80 other squads in their division at the national championships Feb. 11 and 12 in Orlando, Florida.
Liette considers this weekend, and hopefully the trip south that will follow, as a chance for the Patriots to prove themselves. It’s an opportunity to move beyond success at the state fair and make their mark on an even bigger stage.
“It’s really awesome. I’ve always wanted to go to nationals,” she said. “It’s definitely one of my biggest dreams. I love competing … and going and doing bigger things.”