COMPETITION CHEER J U M P S J U M P S ON NEW CHANCES

GHS competition cheer squad compete at regionals and preps for national competition

by Jackson Hall

The Bulldog squad this year is a “small but strong” group, according to Coach Kourtney Groholy, of nine cheerleaders. This ambitious team continues to break its traditional norms this season by participating in more competitions, earning higher placements, and competing at new levels.

For the first time, the team vied for a spot at the Universal Cheerleaders Association’s (UCA) national competition in Disney World Orlando. Making second place at the UCA Regional Competition at Olentangy Liberty High School out of 18 teams, the Bulldogs qualified. The national competition will take place this weekend, Feb. 10 to 12.

“We hoped to qualify for UCA nationals in Disney, which we did. Our next goal is to make it to finals at nationals” said Groholy when asked about her intentions for this year.

While the Bulldogs hit the road for transcontinental travel, they will also make their impact on Green High history as they are the first team to compete at this national competition.

Senior Emma Kaluger weighed in, “The competition team is super excited to attend Green's first-ever UCA Nationals in Disney. We will be competing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports building. Our team will be competing against teams from all over America. We will face teams that we have never encountered before.”

The competition cheer team at Green competed at the Best in State Competition (BITS) at Wittenberg University on Jan. 22. Competing in the small varsity non-building category (which eliminates building and stunt work), the Lady Bulldogs primarily feature their tumbling skills.

“As a group, our tumbling is the most elite it has ever been,” said Groholy.

The squad received a first-place finish in this category.

Sophomore Marisa Belcher said, “Winning first place at Best in State, I felt very proud of our whole team and all the hard work we’ve put in for months.”

In addition to BITS, the Lady Bulldogs attended the following competitions thus far this season: UCA Regionals, 2nd place; Lake Rock ‘Em Competition, 2nd place; Minerva Turkey Tumble, 1st place; Federal

League Competition, 3rd place; Tigertown Throwdown Massillon Washington, 1st place; Best in the State Competition, 1st place.

“One of our goals was to get top 3 at the federal league competition which we achieved,” said Groholy.

The Federal League contains many high-ranking cheer teams, which makes it a very competitive tournament. Therefore, the Bulldogs observed their third-place finish as a victory. This year, Green bested the Hoover Vikings for that third-place slot.

Senior Emma Kaluger noted, “I would say our biggest rival team would be Hoover. Last year we were neck and neck with them.”

As for the State match, the Bulldogs qualified on Jan. 29 in Perry to enter the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators (OASSA) Cheer Competition for the weekend of March 4. The team hopes to earn a top 3 finish as one of their final goals of the season.

“Our team is expecting to do well at States, and with the way that the season has gone so far it will be a great competition,” said Kaluger. The group’s success is partly derived from their willingness to work together as a team. Several of the cheerleaders described the squad as tight-knit, close, a family. For two teammates, they truly are family.

Senior Elyssa Paine cheers alongside her freshman sister, Lila Paine. “It’s definitely an experience. It’s been so much fun with her. She’s my best friend,” Elyssa shared.

Freshman Lila Paine responded, “I feel like I have a support system with her on the team. She’s my best friend. It’s nice to ride to practice together and be with her before we go on to compete. This has definitely been my favorite year of cheer.”

These principles of camaraderie are shared by Coach Groholy as well; when asked to summarize her values as a coach, she responded, “I mostly just value hard work over talent and having a growth mindset. I also think it’s really important for everyone to know the strengths they bring to the team. I also like to emphasize accountability and hold them to high standards.”

The Competition Cheer Team will compete on March 4 and 5 at the OASSA State Cheer competition to wrap up their season.