By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
The NRHEG Competition Cheer team took eighth place during the National High School Cheerleading Competition at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida earlier this month.
After missing the national finals by a mere fraction of a point a year ago, and falling short of a fourth straight championship at the state level, this group of girls was determined to make the most of their trip.
“These athletes could have gotten down on themselves and called it quits, but they didn’t,” coach Joni Churchill said during a Friday-afternoon welcome home celebration in front of hundreds of students, fans and NRHEG faculty at the secondary site. “These guys could have easily gone down to Florida, put out a mediocre performance the first day, and then spent the rest of the time at the beach and Disney, but they didn’t. They made a promise to themselves and to each other that they were going to reach their goals, and they did.”
This year's event hosted 1,183 teams and 25,000 athletes from 34 states. In order to compete at the championship, the NRHEG cheer team had to qualify at a regional competition in the fall of 2023. After doing so, the group was credentialed in cheer safety and leadership training at a Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) camp, endorsed by the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS), as well as in the areas of crowd leading, spirit raising, ambassadorship, athleticism, and entertainment.
Cheerleading teams are judged on their stunting and tumbling skills, crowd-leading ability, and overall performance in a two-and-a-half minute routine.
“They went out there for their preliminary round and hit,” Churchill said. “They advanced to semifinals and went back out less than 12 hours later and hit again, putting out their best performance of the year and making it into finals for the first time ever.
“The next day, they went into finals - the last time ever performing this routine together as a team…” Churchill continued. “And they hit it one last time, earning themselves a jaw-dropping eighth place in the nation.”
The NRHEG competition cheer team consists of 13 girls from eighth through twelfth grades. After qualifying for national competition last fall, the group had been practicing and raising money for the five-day trip which began early this month. In addition to three days of competition, team members and many family members also enjoyed time at the Disney amusement parks in Orlando.
With their annual season, which began last July, now officially at an end, all participants have an exciting set of memories to share, including a third-place finish at the state competition and their nationals finish.
“In talking about this season, I’m not sure where to even begin,” Churchill said. “It feels like the way this season ended was nothing short of magical, but that takes all the credit away from the athletes on this team. Sometimes what seems like magic really isn’t magic after all. Sometimes magic is a disguise for a whole lot of hard work and determination.
“What makes these athletes successful, though, really isn’t the trophy they came home with, so big that we had to have a parent drive it home because we couldn’t bring it on the plane,” Churchill continued.
“What makes them successful is that they never, ever once counted themselves out and they never counted their team out. When you believe in yourselves and in each other, you can do anything: I think this team is proof of that.”
During the welcome home celebration Friday, three seniors reflected on their careers, trips and many, many memories.
Brenna Sommer has been in competition cheer for 11 years and a sideline cheerleader since she was a freshman. “If there is one thing that has motivated me to keep going and to keep working hard, it is this team,” Sommer said. “We are about as close as it gets, and that is what I love most about cheer.
“I could not be more proud of the performance we put out [at Nationals],” Sommer continued. “They were the best three routines we’ve had all season. This was such an incredible feeling, and we all worked so hard for this moment. After the competition was over, we got to spend a day at Disney, which was pretty cool too. However, Disney was not the best part of the trip. The best part for me was each moment spent with my teammates, and performing with them for the last time. This is an experience that I will never forget, and I will miss this very much next year. I would encourage anyone to join cheer, and I promise that this program becomes like a second family.”
Isabel Stadheim has also been part of the competition program for 11 years. She said she’s proud to represent NRHEG and highlighted some of the group's biggest achievements: three state championships, achieving the highest GPA in the state, and finally, the eighth-place finish at nationals.
“The first day we competed we put out one of our best performances; we were confident we would advance, and sure enough we did,” Stadheim explained. “Then we went back and did it again. As soon as the announcer said he had to spell out the name we all knew we were moving on to finals.
“When I started cheer I never would have thought I would be performing on a national stage,” Stadheim continued. “It wasn’t easy, and there were lots of morning practices, but we made it. I am beyond grateful for the time I’ve had with this team and all the memories we’ve shared.”
Senior Payton Bunn was the final cheerleader to speak on Friday. She thanked the many who made her career and the cheer program possible.
“I can confidently say this has been one of the best things that I have ever done,” Bunn said. “I started cheering because I thought it looked cool. I kept cheering because of the girls I met along the way.”
Bunn explained that cheerleading is not natural for most. It is a sport. “Above all else, we are athletes,” she said. “Our successes speak for themselves.
“For those who haven’t been a part of this program, you cannot fully know how much goes into being a cheerleader,” Bunn continued. “You cannot know how much blood, sweat, tears, and love have gone into this routine and every routine that we have ever competed. The love that I have for this sport and these girls cannot be condensed into just one speech. Every day, the NRHEG competition cheer program makes me proud to wear the word “Panthers” across my chest.”
Bunn concluded saying it wouldn’t be a speech if she didn’t end it by saying, “Go Panthers.”
The competition cheer program is coached by Churchill, Brooke Berg, Jennie Bunn, Angela Gehrke, and Linda Stadheim.