October 15, 2018 at 4:36 p.m.
All-state honoree
Jay’s Grove selected for all-state team
All-state honoree
For the second year in a row, a Patriot has been honored among the state’s top cheerleaders.
Jay County High School senior Dara Grove was announced Friday as one of 12 members of the Indiana All-State Cheer Team.
“It was exciting to know that all my hard work finally paid off and to be able to experience something like that,” said Grove, who was also selected as an All American during her squad’s Universal Cheerleaders Association camp this summer.
It was also some welcome good news at the end of a difficult week, as her grandfather, Minnis Adkins, died Oct. 7 and his funeral was held Thursday.
“It meant a lot,” Grove said.
Grove has been a part of a strong run of cheerleading for Jay County, including a seventh-place finish in medium varsity Division II at the UCA national championships in Orlando, Florida, in 2017. The Patriots were also national qualifiers during her junior year, competing in February.
She was also a part of squads that placed second at the Indiana State Fair in 2015 and fourth at the Indiana Cheer Championship in 2016.
In order to be selected for the all-state team, cheerleaders had to send in a one-minute video — 30 seconds cheer, 30 seconds dance — to show off as many of their skills as possible. For Grove, the top items on this list were her triple jump tuck and her layout.
The videos were evaluated by a board of judges, and the top 12 based on scores were named to the all-state team Friday.
Jay County High School senior Dara Grove was announced Friday as one of 12 members of the Indiana All-State Cheer Team.
“It was exciting to know that all my hard work finally paid off and to be able to experience something like that,” said Grove, who was also selected as an All American during her squad’s Universal Cheerleaders Association camp this summer.
It was also some welcome good news at the end of a difficult week, as her grandfather, Minnis Adkins, died Oct. 7 and his funeral was held Thursday.
“It meant a lot,” Grove said.
Grove has been a part of a strong run of cheerleading for Jay County, including a seventh-place finish in medium varsity Division II at the UCA national championships in Orlando, Florida, in 2017. The Patriots were also national qualifiers during her junior year, competing in February.
She was also a part of squads that placed second at the Indiana State Fair in 2015 and fourth at the Indiana Cheer Championship in 2016.
In order to be selected for the all-state team, cheerleaders had to send in a one-minute video — 30 seconds cheer, 30 seconds dance — to show off as many of their skills as possible. For Grove, the top items on this list were her triple jump tuck and her layout.
The videos were evaluated by a board of judges, and the top 12 based on scores were named to the all-state team Friday.
“It’s very exciting. It’s a huge privilege,” said Cheree McCallister, Dara’s coach and mom. “There’s a very talented pool of cheerleaders in Indiana, so it’s definitely a huge honor.
“Dara is incredibly determined and motivated when it comes to cheer. It’s always been a passion of hers. … She definitely gives 100 percent.”
She follows 2017 all-state honorees Breea Liette and Sydnee Lee, who were the first cheerleaders in JCHS history to earn the honor.
“That inspired me to want to be able to try out of this too,” said Grove.
McCallister hopes that having three honorees in two years can be both a motivating factor and part of a trend, especially for her group of 10 juniors who will be eligible next year.
“It’s building confidence in all the other girls, and it’s giving them that motivation to continue pushing themselves,” she said. “They can see it. It’s within their reach now. Definitely it’s a motivating factor for them.”
Grove will be honored during the Indiana Cheer Championship State Finals Nov. 3 at New Castle. (The ICC state preliminaries are Oct. 27 at Greenfield-Central as the Patriots seek to advance to the finals for the third consecutive year.) She will also perform a routine with the other all-state honorees — the rest of the group includes cheerleaders from New Albany, Silver Creek, Gibson Southern, Lake Central, Jeffersonville, Floyd Central and Elkhart Central — and get a chance to show off some of her individual jumping and/or tumbling skills.
“Dara is incredibly determined and motivated when it comes to cheer. It’s always been a passion of hers. … She definitely gives 100 percent.”
She follows 2017 all-state honorees Breea Liette and Sydnee Lee, who were the first cheerleaders in JCHS history to earn the honor.
“That inspired me to want to be able to try out of this too,” said Grove.
McCallister hopes that having three honorees in two years can be both a motivating factor and part of a trend, especially for her group of 10 juniors who will be eligible next year.
“It’s building confidence in all the other girls, and it’s giving them that motivation to continue pushing themselves,” she said. “They can see it. It’s within their reach now. Definitely it’s a motivating factor for them.”
Grove will be honored during the Indiana Cheer Championship State Finals Nov. 3 at New Castle. (The ICC state preliminaries are Oct. 27 at Greenfield-Central as the Patriots seek to advance to the finals for the third consecutive year.) She will also perform a routine with the other all-state honorees — the rest of the group includes cheerleaders from New Albany, Silver Creek, Gibson Southern, Lake Central, Jeffersonville, Floyd Central and Elkhart Central — and get a chance to show off some of her individual jumping and/or tumbling skills.
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