High school cheer squads put it all on the line today at state championships
One hundred competitive cheerleading teams from Illinois high schools have descended on the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington for the start of the 2010 IHSA cheerleading state finals today, Friday.
The two-day competition opens with preliminary rounds, with teams having up to three minutes to grab one of the top 10 spots in their division - small, medium, large or coed - to advance to the championship round on Saturday.
This is the fifth year the IHSA has sanctioned competitive cheerleading as one of its 35 sports and activities. Last year's state finals drew 10,000 fans across the two days of competition.
"All we want to do is make it to the second day," said Patti Hein, Rolling Meadows High School coach. "We qualified (for state) for the first time last year, but then didn't advance to the final round. This year, we're determined."
The Mustangs figure they have a good shot. They posted the fourth highest score at the Grayslake sectional on Saturday, finishing behind Conant, Stevenson and St. Viator.
Their score also puts them just behind Neuqua Valley and Jacobs, who led Large schools at the Belvidere sectional.
None of the sectional scores carry over, so everyone starts with a clean slate at the state finals.
Scores today determine the top 10 finalists, who again start from scratch on Saturday. Their scores do not carry over.
All of the Northwest suburban Large division contenders will have to face defending state champion Sandburg High School, who along with Lockport and Bradley Bourbonnais have held the top three spots the last two years.
However, Conant High School comes in with the highest score from sectionals and they hope to better their fourth place finish from last year.
"We have a really young team but they're very athletic and talented," says Coach Dana Naumann. "But what sets them apart is their heart and passion. They love what they're doing, and it shows."
Lake County schools continue to be competitive among Medium division schools. Wauconda, Grayslake North and Antioch - all top 10 finishers last year - advanced to state, where they hope to have a shot at the title.
"We've earned our highest scores in pyramids and stunts, so we have to work on executing out tumbling and jumps," says Antioch Coach Robin Gwynn. "Quality is the name of the game. We just have to deliver."
Among coed squads, Elk Grove High School remains the team to beat. They won the Grayslake sectional title, and bring four successive state championships to the competition.
"In my 17 years of coaching, this is by far the strongest coed division, ever," says Coach Jeff Siegal. "We have to be on our 'A' game. We don't have full squad tumbling, so we have to up our stunting level and maximize the rest of the score sheet."
Elk Grove will face strong competition from suburban teams, including last year's runner-up, Downers Grove South, and Barrington and Palatine high schools, which finished third and fourth respectively, a year ago.