V-chur takes Florida
With clear eyes and full hearts, there is nothing these varsity cheerleaders can’t win.
It’s 6 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5. A giant charter bus pulls up to SMCHS ready to make its hour-long trek to the San Diego International Airport. Twenty-four anxious, overly-ecstatic, spray-tanned varsity cheerleaders board the bus ready to take on the trip they’ve been working towards since last April. This is UCA Nationals. And varsity cheer is ready to represent its school in the best way possible.
The girls can barely contain their excitement. They’ve worked incredibly hard for the past 10 months to prepare one routine, with only one goal in mind: to get first place and bring home those coveted white jackets.
“White jackets mean that we’ve made it in the cheer world,” said sophomore Courtney Marquart. “They represent so much more than just a simple jacket, they mean that all of our had work and months of dedication have paid off.”
For months, these girls had envisioned success, but with just a week before they left for Florida, God made it very clear that He had a different plan in mind.
All in the time span of just one week, junior Lindsey White attended a doctor’s appointment and was diagnosed with a detached retina. This meant that one of the strongest back spots on the team was not going to be able to compete at Nationals.
“This was definitely a hard hit for our team, but more importantly I felt so bad for Lindsey,” said junior Kalina Tidland. “We were faced with the struggle of replacing her and working hard to make sure that our new stunt group could hit.”
As these girls quickly recovered and were safely on the road to victory, sophomore Lily Turner was diagnosed with a concussion. This was yet another blow to the girls, as it meant another best friend was not going to be able to take on the mat with them.
Luckily, they made some quick changes, kept a positive outlook, and held on to that number one finish as their number one priority. Though faced with some tough trials, they were determined to count on each other to stay healthy for their big performances.
Upon arriving in Orlando, the girls squeezed in some last-minute practice.
“Practice means perfect,” said senior Gigi Spinosi. “The purpose of Friday practice is to clean our routine and work together to make sure everything works perfectly before our prelims performance on Saturday.”
This year, Friday practice went very well and the girls felt quite confident about their important performance the next day.
It was a 4 a.m. wake up (FLORIDA TIME — that means 1 a.m. California time!). But it didn’t faze them, for the cheerleaders were ready to take on the preliminary round of the competition.
“Prelims went well for the circumstances,” said junior Addie O’Brien. “It left room for improvement and we tried our hardest, so that allowed us to advance to the semi-finals round, and that is all that really mattered.”
Advancing to semis, the girls knew what was expected. Each individual needed to give 100 percent to make sure they would be able to advance to the most important part of the whole competition: finals.
“From prelims to semis our routine definitely improved,” said senior captain Rachel Hoffman. “We were able to figure out what to majorly fix to prepare us for the tough competition of the final round.”
Prelims consisted of 30 teams, semis 15 and finals was down to 11. Fired up and eager to showcase their hard work, the varsity cheerleaders were ready to kill it out on the mat.
“That moment of thousands of people watching you inside the ESPN Field House is so amazing,” Marquart said. “You’re ready to show those judges what you’ve got and to just simply perform to your best ability what you’ve been given.”
The girls did exactly that, with only one deduction in their finals performance. They anxiously awaited the moment of truth as the awards ceremony quickly approached.
“Awards is very stressful,” said freshman Tanner Bailey. “As each name is called, you don’t know what to expect.”
Sitting hand in hand, these girls oh-so-nervously waited for the announcer to say in that loud, serious voice: “Santa Margarita Catholic High School”. This year, these 24 close-knit best friends waited quite a while, as they were not called until fourth place.
“Our team was so excited about being placed fourth in the nation,” said junior Lindsay Graves. “We were so nervous because we were so unsure of our placing.”
Pushing through some difficult situations and overcoming true adversity in such little time, the girls gained much more than a simple white jacket. They gained a new perspective of humility and grace, as they are thankful for the unforgettable memories and incredible fourth place in the nation finish.
