Cheer squads hone skills

VARSITY CHEERLEADERS AT Fairfield high school recently took part in a National Cheerleaders Association private camp. Members of the squad are: front l-r, Ashleigh Johnson, Kendall Dotson, Cally Hardwick, Janette Gibson and Brooklynn Wooten; middle l-r, Josh O'Brien, Joye McElroy, Tanetta Coleman and Sally Taylor; back l-r, Jordan Gandy, Chelsea Higgins, Kiresten Cox and Adalelia Rivers. Almost 80 Fairfield cheerleaders attended a private camp sponsored last week by the National Cheerleaders Association, and held at Fairfield high school.

Cheerleaders from Fairfield junior high school and high school varsity and JV squads competed at the camp over three days, earning individual and team awards.

Fairfield junior high school cheer squad earned a National Championship Bid winner award, for best technical skill and cheerleading technique. This bid is extended to teams to compete at the NCA senior and junior high school national championship or the NCA all-star national championship, both set in Dallas. The NCA championships are the world's largest cheerleading events, bringing in more than 20,000 of the nation's cheerleaders.

MEMBERS OF THE FAIRFIELD high school junior varsity cheer squad are: front l-r, Destany Weaver, Haylee Huggins, Dinesha Lowery and Jessica Adams; middle l-r, Jayda Griffin, Katie Berger, Andrea Griffin and Kelli Warren; back l-r, Natalie Neill, Madison Fuller, Anna Marie Oglesbee and Desiree Hodges. Other junior high awards included Linsey Turner and Maigan Knight named All-American Cheerleaders and five squad members named All-American Nominees in various events.

All-American nominees are outstanding individuals who display strength in one of the following categories: motions, jumps, stunts, tumbling, dance or leadership. These individuals are eligible to perform at various NCA special events.

Named to the list are Meagan Lott, tumbling; Alexis Canter, jumps; Savannah Robinson, jumps; Maigan Knight, stunts; and Linsey Turner, tumbling.

Fairfield varsity and JV cheer members earned the motion award for superlative motions during evaluation, and also won the National Championship Bid Winner status and are invited to compete at the Dallas contests.

LEADING CHEERS at Fairfield junior high school next year are: front l-r, Maigan Knight, Brooke Johnson, Meagan Lott and Justice Oates; middle l-r, Alexis Canter, Victoria Simpson, Kaylee Crook, Chelsea McQueen and Allie Edwards; back l-r, Kayli Banks, Linsey Turner, Mattey Mannen, Savannah Robinson and Taylor Grey. All-American team members are Sally Taylor, Josh O'Brien, Joye McElroy, Kiresten Cox, Natalie Neill, Haylee Huggins and Kelli Warren. This award is considered the most prestigious in cheerleading today. Participants vying for All- American status are judged on motion technique, jumps, tumbling, spirit and enthusiasm, voice projection and overall crowd appeal, and are eligible to perform at various NCA special events.

All-American nominees in the varsity squad are Joye McElroy, Kiresten Cox, Josh O'Brien, Cally Hardwick, Sally Taylor and Janette Gibson, who were all nominated for jumps.

JV team cheerleaders selected are Katie Berger and Haylee Huggins for jumps, Kelli Warren for tumbling, and Natalie Neill, Jayda Griffin, Andrea Griffin and Madison Fuller, stunting.

The National Cheerleaders Association selects award winners at each of the 1,000 camps it administers around the world each summer.

Founded in 1948 by L.R. Herkimer, NCA has been conducting camps for 60 years and holds events annually for 150,000 cheerleaders and dancers around the world.