COAL TOWNSHIP - Southern Columbia's cheerleading squad finished second Saturday in the small varsity division at the second annual District 4 cheerleading competition at Shamokin Area High School, and will be one of five teams representing the district at the upcoming PIAA state championships Jan. 24-25 at Hershey.
The Tigers received a score of 198 points (of a possible 300) from a three-judge panel from the Universal Cheerleader Association (UCA), the sanctioning body chosen by the PIAA for its judging. Milton took first place with a score of 212, and Hughesville was third and will also advance with a score of 194.
Those three teams will be joined by Jersey Shore, which won the medium varsity title with 176.5 points, and North Penn won the co-ed varsity title with 150 points.
Nine teams competed overall. Shamokin Area was the only other area school which participated. The Indians, with the fewest number of cheerleaders (eight), finished seventh in the small varsity competition.
"The kids are a little disappointed," Southern coach Kenda Roth said. "They were hoping to win."
This was the first time Southern entered a team, although Roth has been active with all-star cheerleading squads, such as the Big 33 teams, for many years. She noted that different sanctioning organizations have different styles.
"I think they need to have split judging (multiple organizations)," she said. "We cheer NCA (National Cheerleaders Association) style, and that's a little different from UCA. Different organizations look for different things."
Teams were judged on crowd leading and skill/execution. The maximum score a team can get in crowd leading is 60 points, based on crowd-effective material, effective use of signs, poms or megaphones, effective use of motions to lead the crowd, voice and pace, energy and inflection, effective use of skills to lead the crowd, formations and spacing, and crowd-leading impression.
The maximum score for skill/execution judging is 40 points, based on skills execution (stunts, tumbling, jumps, etc.), skills difficulty, motions/dance technique and overall choreography, visual appeal and image.
A total maximum score is 100 points from one judge. The three judges' totals are added for the final total.
Based on attendance, it's apparent there is an interest in the competitions, which have become quite popular in some parts of the country, particularly the south.
"There were definitely a lot more people here this year than last year," Roth said. "The district was better organized and there was better quality of teams."
Members of Southern's team are Laken Anderson, Nina Benner, Phoebe Bridy, Samantha Clark, Diana Dorkoski, Abby Fleishauer, Lauren Gedman, Taylor Hoffman, Carissa Jones, Sarah Lupatsky, Erika Patrick, Miranda Payeskie, Jordan Persing, Regan Roadarmel and Trystanne Toczylousky.
Results
Small varsity division
1. Milton 212, 2. Southern Columbia 198, 3. Hughesville 194, 4. Canton 147, 5. Sayre 139.5, 6. Troy 133, 7. Shamokin Area 101.
Medium varsity
1. Jersey Shore 176.5
Co-ed varsity
1. North Penn 150