Liberty Cheer Squad Claims League Title, Advances to State

By Kane McDaniel and Thomas South

On Nov. 13, Liberty’s varsity cheer team placed first in the Colorado Springs league cheer competition. They now have the chance to compete in the state championships.

The Liberty cheerleaders competed against league schools in their division area to win their first-place title. 

The cheer competition consists of two parts: a “Gameday” cheer and a competition routine. The “Gameday” cheer consists of a band chant, a "situational" cheer and a fight song. The situational cheer is where the judges call out a football situation, and the team reacts to the scenario and performs the appropriate routine.

Last year, the cheer team did not participate in these competitions. According to varsity cheerleader Claire Cho, new coaches were brought onto the team. Cho said the new coaches brought better energy and excitement to the players for their routines. 

The coaches, Nikkole Weir and Taylor Council, encouraged them to compete and to improve their routine as a team, which helped them to have such a successful event. 

Senior Anna Finkelstein agreed that the coaches made the biggest difference. 

“We’ve been working very hard since May of last year to get to where we are. I think a lot of it comes from our coaches who are just really dedicated to making us the best we can be," Finkelstein said. 

After the performance was over, Cho said they did not expect to win.

“Right before awards, one of the captains was like ‘Guys, this isn't our division', so when we were listening to the placements, we didn't think we’d be called. Then they said second and third, and we were like ‘wait, we won,’ and it was just crazy," Cho explained. 

The cheer team will compete at the state competition, which will take place Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 12-14 at the Denver Coliseum.