*Photos and article by Amy Powter

Our Woodinville Elite, competitive cheer team, competed in the WSCCA junior state championship for cheerleading at Tahoma high school on Sunday, January 21, 2024. They competed in the largest category, junior non-tumbling, where 11 teams were vying for the title. Woodinville Elite performed eighth out of the group with unprecedented energy since adding new skills to their routine. For the first time all season they had the oppurtunity to practice on a full size floor of actual cheer mats when Hero Cheer in Woodinville came to their rescue providing gym space when school was cancelled and they couldn’t access the school cafeteria they use for their practices.
 
They started off their routine with a toss to extension followed by an explosive basket toss twist full - the crowd erupted in excitement, it was so loud that some of Woodinville cheerleaders were unable to hear the music and lost track of their counts. This was very uncharacteristic, but the team has put in so many hours of practice, and is so resilient they were able to get back on track and execute their half up to extension, prone down to front walkover outs! The prone is when the flyers free fall from an extended position and drop into the waiting arms of the cheerleaders below, it causes the crowd to gasp every time! The energy and excitement was contagious. Their walkovers to extended arabesque was a new skill saved for state that was impressive.  

Soon after the performance Coach Julia Miller received the news that the team had hit zero! This means there were no deductions at all which is what every squad aspires to. 

The gymnasium at Tahoma high school was filled to the brim with spectators and nervous energy as the teams were each announced and paraded in to take their spot on the mats and await the awards. The Woodinville team sat in a circle heads bowed, holding hands, waiting to hear their fate. Third place was announced, Vikings Community Cheer (last year’s winners), the team looked up at each other nervously knowing this was one step closer to what they’ve been working for all season. Second place, neighboring rival, Bothell Junior Cheer! The Woodinville Elite team squeezed each others hands as they waited for the big announcement, your State Champions… Woodinville Junior Cheer! The team lept to their feet exploding into excited screams hugs, tears. The crowd and fans went crazy. A brand new team & program had knocked off the reigning champs as well and their neighboring program and had come out on top. They scored a 67.7! Beating the 2nd place team by 3 whole points.

Fly Falcons Fly!