The Whitley County High School (WCHS) cheerleading team was honored for their standout season at the Whitley County Board of Education meeting on March 19.
The WCHS cheerleading team was recognized for their fourth place finish at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Nationals competition in their division in Orlando, Florida.
“They had a phenomenal year,” said Superintendent John Siler.
WCHS Head Coach Kimberly Collier said the team set goals at the beginning of the season to represent their school with pride, attend camp, earn a bid to nationals and perform on a national stage.
“I’m proud to say that our dream soon became a reality,” Collier explained.
Preparation began in May with a foundational training session. Throughout the summer, athletes steadily built their skills leading up to a three-day camp at the University of Kentucky in July.
“That experience helped build not only their skill level but also their mental toughness and belief in what they could achieve,” Collier said.
While at camp, the team competed against other programs, earning second place in game-day cheer and first place in sideline cheer, among other achievements.
In November, the cheer team competed at the UCA Bluegrass Regional Competition against teams from Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.
“I am proud to say they brought home first place,” said Collier. “That victory advanced them to the national stage, where they competed against 55 teams from across the country.”
After advancing through the preliminaries and semifinals, the team secured a spot in the top 16 nationally before ultimately finishing fourth.
“They’ve represented their school with pride and excellence in every moment,” said Collier.
Board members presented each cheerleader with a framed, full-color News Journal ad cutout in their honor.
“In life, normally the harder you work at something and the more time you put into it, the more success you have,” said Siler. “Successful people, successful teams do the hard stuff when other people don’t.”
