Shallowater wins state cheerleading championship; Ropes, New Home also medal
FORT WORTH — Dozens of cheer squads from across the South Plains competed in the UIL Texas State Spirit Championships last week, and one Lubbock-area squad came home with the gold.
Shallowater's cheerleaders are state champions, placing first in the 3A Division I state championship finals at the Fort Worth Convention Center Jan. 4. The Mustangs topped the 21-squad field with a cumulative score of 89.73.
This year was the Mustangs' third to compete at state spirit. Last year, Shallowater landed third in their class and did not place the year before that.
"Cheer is a year round commitment. All year long they support our other programs in competition, but today was their time to shine. Nobody is more deserving," reads a Facebook post from Shallowater ISD. "Congratulations to all of them for their hard work and to the moms and dads who have supported them all along the way. And a BIG THANK YOU to Ms. Willer for her inspiration and leadership with these young ladies!"
More: Maggie Grimes a sparkplug for Shallowater girls basketball in win over Estacado
Shallowater was not the only local school to come home with a medal. Ropesville Ropes earned silver in Class 2A, placing second out of 20 teams with a 92.30 score. New Home was right behind Ropes with an 88.07 score, placing third in 2A and earning a bronze medal. Paducah placed third in Class 1A.
Frenship landed eighth in the co-ed division, while Lubbock-Cooper placed 15th in Class 5A Division I. Lubbock Roosevelt finished 18th in Class 3A Division II.
Other area schools participating in the state spirit championships included Brownfield, Idalou, Lubbock-Cooper Liberty, Denver City, Littlefield, Slaton, Jayton, Spur, New Deal, Smyer, Guthrie, Nazareth, Hermleigh, Lamesa Klondike, Silverton, Tahoka, Post, Plainview, Lubbock Estacado, Seminole, Levelland, Lubbock Coronado, Lubbock Monterey and Lubbock High.
Cheerleading squads competed in a "Game Day"-formatted competition, which included crowd leading, band chant and fight song elements. Teams are scored by a panel of judges based on a number of criteria, with deductions for safety and time violations.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Shallowater wins state cheerleading championship; Ropes, New Home also medal
