The super squad was named first in their division as well as grand champions of the Golden State Spirit Association (GSSA) 1 Spirit Dance and Cheer Championships at the Sacramento Convention Center, Dec. 13.

The teams assembled on the stage for an awards ceremony following their performances. After the judges announced a tie for second place, the super squad realized they received first.

“Once again the girls performed an almost perfect routine,” cheer coach Katie Mendenhall said. “The judges were impressed with the speed, showmanship and stunt difficulty of their routine.”

The super squad also merited the title of grand championships, which means they scored higher than the six other high schools at the competition, including Clovis High, West High, Sacramento High, San Lorenzo Valley, College Park and Santa Clara High.

The cheerleaders received 68.5 out of 100 points in the tumbling category, 79 out of 100 points for motion and 75 out of 100 for dance, Mendenhall said.

Sophomore Chelsea Kitahara doubted the outcome of the competition because she noticed some mistakes during the squad’s performance. With a single run-through of the routine on an unfamiliar spring floor, Kitahara felt ill-prepared.

“After we performed, I got really nervous because it was not our best competition,” Kitahara said. “Our stunts were off during the routine, but things like this happen. We just have to work harder to fix it.”

Although they defeated the other schools at the competition, Mendenhall recognizes areas for improvement before the United Spirit Association (USA) National Competition next semester.

“Even with a three-point deduction, the girls were able to pull it off,” Mendenhall said. “All the schools we competed against are USA national competitors and we will be likely to meet up with them at nationals in March.”

After the announcer awarded the super squad with first place, many of the cheerleaders walked out before they were named grand champions.

“We were dismissed, but I was one of the only ones that stayed,” captain Kory Thompson, ’11, said. “I was not sure if they called us for sure and they kept telling me to go up on stage to get the award, so I went up and stood in front of everybody by myself.”

The super squad will resume practice after Christmas break in preparation for future competitions.

“I thought that the girls did great,” Mendenhall said. “We added, for difficulty, a dip technique in our partner stunt section and a backhandspring out of a toe-touch to prepare for nationals, but it is time to step it up for when we get back from break.”

The cheerleaders will next compete at the Clovis Pep Classic at Clovis High, Jan. 31. For the complete competition schedule, visit the Cheer Web site.

For more photos of the event, check out Cheer dance and Cheer 3 for 3.

For more information and coverage of past cheer events, visit the Dec. 12 article, Cheer to enter GSSA championships, the Nov. 24 article, Cheer conquers FCC Capital Classic or e-mail Katie Mendenhall.