March 2018 | Vol. 12 Iss. 03
DRAPER
FREE CHARGERS ARE STATE’S BEST — AND NOW NATION’S BEST — IN CHEER By Catherine Garrett | c.garrett@mycityjournals.com Corner Canyon High cheerleading coach Whitney Lunt said the goal for her team heading into the National High School Cheerleading Championships was “just to hit our routines and make finals, but obviously we would be ecstatic about anything beyond that.” The Chargers topped 67 teams to win the national title in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 11. “The whole thing is really a dream,” said Lunt, who is in her fifth year with the program. “Prior to this year, our varsity team had never even made finals. To not only make finals, but win a national championship was absolutely unreal, and a complete fairy tale.” CCHS team captain Ryleigh Bloechel said when it came down to the top three teams, they were excited to simply place that high. “After they announced the third-place team, I almost started to cry because I thought we got second place,” Bloechel said. “In that moment when it came down to announcing the top team, all I was thinking about is how much I loved these girls. Everyone on this team has so much talent and uses it to the max every practice and performance. All of our blood, sweat and tears went into this performance month after month and it really did pay off.” Corner Canyon’s squad performed a “perfect routine,” according to Lunt, that scored the highest among their preliminary group of 23 teams and advanced them straight to the finals, skipping the semifinal round. In the finals, Corner Canyon performed second to last. The girls were relaxed, but focused, and when they hit the floor they were electric,” Lunt said. “They hit perfect again and their cheer had the whole crowd yelling with them. It was incredible. No Utah team has won a UCA National Championship since the 1980s. We are over the moon!”
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The Corner Canyon High varsity and junior varsity teams pose after winning the state cheerleading titles Jan. 26 at Salt Lake Community College. (Photo courtesy of Whitney Lunt)
“We not only beat the four-year streak of the California champions,” Bloechel said, “but we hit a perfect routine and had no regrets on the floor. It was an awesome experience.” The junior varsity squad, competing against 16 other teams, made the finals and finished eighth. “These girls were amazing,” Lunt said. The event will be televised on ESPN in March. At the 5A state competition Jan. 26, the Chargers laid claim
to the best cheer squad in the state for the second time in the five-year history of Corner Canyon High School. The varsity team placed first while the junior varsity team also won the title in their division at competition at Salt Lake Community College. “I always hate to get my hopes up going into big competitions, but these girls 100 percent deserved their wins,” Lunt said. “They are incredibly talented and they work harder than anyone I know. We knew that we had superior skills going in, especially with stunts and tumbling, but the girls still had to execute all of their skills well and they did. They were absolutely incredible.” Lunt said the mindset for her team entering the state competition was executing their routines cleanly. “We try not to focus on winning or placement, because ultimately we can’t control the judges and what they like or dislike,” she said. “All that we can control is what we put on the mat and the performance that we give, so our focus is always to go out and hit a clean routine, with as few mistakes as possible.” At the state meet, the junior varsity team competed first so the varsity team was warming up as the JV awards were announced and they were informed of the JV squad’s title by text. “We had a little mini-party in the warm-up room because we were so excited,” Lunt said. “It also got varsity pumped up right before their routine and gave them some great positive energy going into their own performance.” “When varsity won my heart pretty much stopped,” Lunt said. “I was so ecstatic that I actually started crying! For them to finally get the recognition that they deserve was amazing. They’ve been battling a few teams all season, and it was really nice to see Continued on Page 5...
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