SPRINGDALE -- It's easy to forget that cheerleading is more than a way to raise team spirit; it's a sanctioned sport. Teams train long and hard, much the same as any other sport, and even compete on a conference level. That is exactly what Decatur and Gentry High School Cheer squads did when they both traveled to Springdale Nov. 4, competing in the Har-Ber Invitational Cheer at Har-Ber High School.
Twenty-three junior high, junior varsity, senior high and stunt teams from 1A to 7A conferences competed in this one-day event. Decatur and Gentry were up against teams from Russellville, Har-Ber, Springdale, Fayetteville, Bentonville, West Fork and Ozark.
Coach Joni Wilson and her 22-member Gentry cheer team kicked off the contest with a near-flawless performance.
Decatur was last up in the Game Day division. The nine-member squad, consisting of Jazmine Godiness, Desi Meek, Heidi Rubi, Emme Lee, Kaylee Morales, Tabitha Tilley, Alexis Patterson, Kaitlyn Smith and Mayra Flores, had to sit through 18 performances before they took the floor.
The Decatur team took full advantage of this long wait to study each team's performances. In fact, Meek, Tilley and Morales took careful notes of the more interesting aspects of each routine to incorporate in their own future performances.
Just before Decatur took to the floor for its two-minute and thirty-second routine, seven Decatur supporters plus Flores (an eighth-grader and unable to compete) sat down in the reserved seats in front of the platform. Then something truly remarkable occurred. In a show of true sportsmanship, half of the Gentry team sat in the front row and began cheering the Decatur team on. This gave the Bulldogs an added boost to do their best and it showed in the routine.
At the conclusion of the event, it was time to present the first- and second-place trophies in each division. The Pioneers took first place in the 4A cheer squad routine division. The Pioneer stunt team, made up of senior Hannah Bennett and freshmen Emma Anderson, Cameron Thorburn, Halle Reid and Brooke Blevins, also brought a first place trophy home to Gentry.
The Decatur Bulldogs cheer squad fared well in its first-ever cheer competition. The team brought home a second-place trophy in its division, chalking up another win for a Decatur girls' team this year.
The Gentry Pioneer cheer team included: Lauren Fowler, Kya DeZurik, Alexis Droddy, Hannah Bennett, Brookley Trammell, Abby Asencio, Nicole Guntharp, Danielle Spencer, Whitly Cochran, Madi Boyd, Falyn Cordeiro, Alexis Fowler, Emma Anderson, Emmi Hays, Dru Sikes, Ashlyn Little, Cameron Thorburn, Brooke Blevins, Halle Reid, Darien Welch, Amy Radford, Lexi Harlan.
Sports on 11/15/2017