The PCO cheerleading squad secured a co-ed excellence title at nationals, led by standout performances from Bali Botkin, Tanner Wood, Juliana Sayarath, Tianne Murray, Tiffany Williams, Mona Smith, Riley Coburn, Hydiah William, Dasha Bell, Skyla Smith, and Bobbi Thames.

“Nationals was such a fun experience because it genuinely takes all season. We start preparing in June with NCA camp and usually we choreograph and get the basics of our routine done in September and we just grind until around January when we perform for nationals. I was so excited to really showcase the talent that we have as a cheer squad and the theme was construction this year and I just really think we blew it out the park. We did very well. Also, we also won an award, the coed excellence award,” senior Tanner Wood said.

Though through the intense preparation many cheerleaders felt that nationals were a good experience not only for them but as a team. It takes a lot of hard work and bonding to create a reliable team.

“It was really fun. We were really excited because we hit zero a lot, which was really good for us. Also, my team put in a lot of work and hours spending time practicing which was hard work but it paid off,” junior Bali Boykin said.

Acknowledging the hard work invested by the team, for their dedication, the cheerleaders exerted themselves into practice to the ultimate limit.

“It was a really fun experience with my team because we worked hard and we had work weeks where we were here practicing every day for like four hours. I was just really excited to hit the mat with my team,” freshman Julianna Sayarath said.

This sport can bring many benefits. For example a community is built, and relationships are bonded. Memories are created to remember.

“It was a good experience having fun with my friends and my parents came along too and I really enjoyed it because these are memories I am going to remember for the rest of my life. I was very excited to perform because it’s what I enjoyed the most. It was stressful but it was worth it because it’s the best we’ve done since I’ve been in cheer,” junior Riley Coburn said