The State Title Is What they Came For

The Waukee competition cheer team pulled off the impossible. In about 2 months they worked hard and won 1st place at State. They started by meeting in the morning and eating lunch together while also vlogging, getting dressed, etc. They could feel the excitement and energy in the room and they knew that the outcome of this day was going to be amazing. Hours later the bus came, and they started making TikToks and recapping memories from last year with our coaches as they all rode down to the Iowa fairgrounds. When they arrived they unloaded their things, checked in, and went to go watch the other teams waiting for warm-ups. At this point everyone was nervous. 

The pressure of hitting every stunt, throwing every pass, and making sure that theirour performance was the best one that they could possibly show added to everything they’ re feeling. Finally, it was theirour turn to warm up and go. As they are standing behind the scenes they are about to call our name and they all grab each other’s hands. Theythey look at each other and let each other know that no matter what they are so proud of how far they have come considering the fact that they, unlike the other teams, have only had 2 months to practice and perfect our routine. They call our name. They wentgo out and they hit every stunt, they threwthrow every tumbling pass, and they absolutely nailednail our dance. 

Coming off the stage they knew that they had just done something amazing but was it good enough for a state title? They finish cheering on the last group which means it’s time for awards. No one but the judges knows who is about to take home the win so at this point all they can do is hope that they did theyll enough. Sitting there, tightly holding hands with my teammates, holding back tears after they announced 5th, then 4th, then 3rd. Waukee still hasn’t been called and 2nd was just announced. At this point, they could either win or not even place. Our hands start to hold tighter, our legs start to shake, and you can practically hear everyone’s thoughts. Please be us. Please say Waukee. The announcer starts her sentence. “This year’s 2023 State Champion Title goes to…….” everything stops. Everyone is quietly whispering, and looking at each other ready to jump up and celebrate. “WAUKEE WARRIORS”. The cheer team looks up at each other in disbelief. They are state champions. All the 6 am practices, and then the after-school practices following it. All the hard full-out practices and the tears and the injuries and they pushed through. They showed everyone that with just a little bit of hard work, perseverance, and teamwork you can easily succeed.

“Winning State was amazing for me ,because I had no cheer experience before this and I didn’t know what to expect. It felt like a really good accomplishment because our team had been working so hard.” says freshman Neelie Streit. “It feels amazing and when it happened I was speechless. I was that excited. It feels rewarding because they deserved it because they did amazing. I was amazed at how good they did with starting off rocky,” says sophomore Lily Stairs. All of our hard work paid off. they worked hard and it shotheyd. they built special bonds and they created so many amazing memories. Thank you to all of the hardworking seniors who have significantly impacted our team. they created a legacy and they are here to stay. “THE BEST OF THE BEST WITHOUT A DOUBT!!! STATE CHAMPIONS. YOUR ABOUT TO FIND OUT!”