Ali Marsden

The Rocky Mountain cheer team after districts awards and qualifying for state championships, in all 3 routines.

Cheerleading is a sport that is commonly overlooked, in fact a lot of people don’t even consider cheer to be a sport. On the weekend of February 10, 2024, Rocky Mountains cheerleaders took on their district III competition.

Before the competition time was taken to interview a few former cheerleaders, students, and even a coach to see how they were feeling about this topic.

Former cheerleader Kaitlynn Kincaid said: “they are doing a good job, and I am very proud of them” after being asked how she felt about the team competing.

Another former cheerleader Ella Huston (Sophomore) was also asked how she felt about the team going into districts, she responded with, “Um, yeah, I feel like if everyone has the right mindset and puts everything into it, they know together they’ll be fine. They just need to get in the right head space.”

Senior Hallie Hucks, a former cheerleader, was asked “What advice would you give girls competing this year?” She responded by saying, “before you go out on the mat, don’t stress, take it all in with your team, live in the moment. As a senior it could be your last chance to perform the routines you’ve worked on, so focus on the present.”

Head Coach of the Varsity Cheer team, Ali Marsden, says, “I feel really confident, and there’s always room for improvement so I’m happy we have 5 more hours of practice this week, but I know the girls are going to go out there and do their best and crush it.”

All these girls were right, the Rocky Mountain cheerleaders went districts and hit 0. They went and qualified in 3 out of 3 routines beating out anywhere between 3 to 6 other teams.

For anyone who has/does play high school sports, you know that district competitions/ games mean everything. Going back to what Hallie says, this competition is possibly the last time you’ll have to compete with what you have been working for the entire season.

If you have never been to a cheer competition or took the time to get to know the sport, hopefully this article made you realize what you are missing from the cheer community. If you have a moment, go see a competition and take in the full experience.