Conant cheerleaders featured live on ABC7 competition

The ABC7 morning news program broadcast live from Conant High School in Hoffman Estates Tuesday as part of their weeklong “Cheerleader Cheer Off” competition.

Conant cheerleaders did a routine at 6:50 a.m. that online voters will compare to live performances later this week by squads at Sandburg High School in Orland Park and Marist High School and Kenwood Academy in Chicago. The winning team will be announced Monday and receive a trophy.

Head coach Dana Musinski said the team “kept saying they were surprised at how awake they were this morning.” The event was exciting for the whole team, she said, but especially for its 11 seniors, as it was the last time they had a chance to perform as a team.

Musinski said she is familiar with the other schools and that winning the competition will be “very challenging,” but she remains confident Conant will receive a lot of online votes.

“I feel like we have a great community ... and great support from family and friends who are going to vote,” she said.

The squads were picked by the IHSA because they were considered “teams who have consistently done well,” Musinski said.

The Conant team finished their season about two weeks ago with a fifth-place finish at the IHSA state competition. Last year they earned second place at the competition and in 2010 they won first and were named state champions.

Musinski said online voting at abc7chicago.com begins at 7 a.m. Friday and goes until 5 p.m. Sunday.