Back to tradition

The 2016 state fair competition was called off because of rain.

The varsity Patriots haven’t been back since.

That will change Saturday.

Jay County High School's cheerleading squad will compete Saturday at the Indiana State Fair, joining the junior high squad on the mat for the first time in seven years.

The spark to make that return came from the squad.­­­­

“The girls wanted to go back to state fair,” said JCHS coach Lindsey Peterson, noting the seven freshmen who competed there last year as part of the junior high squad. “So we said, ‘OK.’”

“I’m really excited. … I’m excited to bring back the tradition, because I think in previous years cheerleading was such a big thing in Jay County,” said senior Cash Hollowell during practice Tuesday. “And I feel like it kinda went down for a little bit.”

The Patriots were on a streak of 11 consecutive top three finishes at the Indiana State Fair when they arrived ready to compete in 2016. That included state fair championships in 2007, 2010 and 2012. They were coming off a runner-up effort in 2015.

Rain delayed the start of the competition. After a single squad competed, lightning forced the grandstand to be cleared.

About 2.5 hours later, rain again foiled an attempt at a re-start.

Then, with no back-up plan for another venue or another date, the competition was canceled.

Jay County didn’t go back in 2017 and has not been back since. For the three seniors — Karci Hopkins, Erin Ring and Hollowell — their only state fair experience heading into Saturday came in junior high.

“I just miss going to state fair,” said Hopkins. “It was really fun going. …

“State fair, it’s just such a tradition for Jay County.”

Ring agreed that she’s more excited for Saturday’s event in Indianapolis than the sideline and game day divisions the squad has competed in during the fall over the last few years.

“We’re used to it,” she said. “We did it all through middle school. It’s nice to come back and do it again.”

While the varsity squad has not been at the state fair, the county’s junior high squads remained regulars. They finished third a year ago and were second in 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the event in 2020.

After having a massive group of eighth graders last summer, Brea Burcham’s squad has just five this year in the group of 15 this year. With so many new cheerleaders, the squad is just focusing on being as clean as possible.

“Our goal is to go out and have a solid routine,” said Burcham. “I hope that we can just go out and have fun and they can actually hit a good routine.”

She added that she feels having the varsity squad back at the state fair with the younger girls will be a positive moving forward.

“I think it’s exciting,” Burcham said. “It was exciting for me when I cheered to see the high school  … To be able to have an idol to look up to, I think it’ll be exciting for the girls.”

  Lexi Schoenlein of the Jay County Junior High School cheerleading squad cheers Tuesday during practice at East Jay Elementary School. The junior high Patriots will compete at 9:51 a.m. Saturday at the Indiana State Fair.

 

As the varsity Patriots make their return, they’ve put together a routine with three different building sections, some long tumbling and jump combinations. Their performance will start with a toe-touch jump into a back handspring.

In addition to working on the skills, the cheerleaders and coaches alike agreed that the regular practice routine during the summer — three or four days a week as opposed to one last year — has helped build camaraderie. Peterson wants to keep that positivity going.

“My goal for them is just that they feel good about how they’ve done at state fair with their performance and that it is truly the best that they can do,” said the 2003 JCHS graduate. “I know some of them are nervous, just with the newness and not knowing what to expect. So I want their spirits to stay high …”

Saturday’s competition begins at 9:30 a.m., with Jay County’s junior high squad scheduled to compete at 9:51 a.m. The six-team field includes defending champion Fall Creek, Tri-West, Daleville, Mount Vernon and Cascade.

JCHS will compete in the large varsity no music division against North Central, DeKalb and Decatur. The Patriots are slated to take the mat at 10:58 a.m.

Awards are slated for 1:30 p.m.

The key to success Saturday?

“I think it’s just confidence,” Hollwell said. “We have it all here. We have the abilities. Everyone’s good in their own ways. Everyone has their own things. I think it’s just knowing we can do good and just not being intimidated.”

Of course, they’d like to win, but, “I think our goal is just to have fun and make it a good experience for everybody,” she added.