An average high school athletic practice is two to three hours long, but imagine you are in cheer, and you have a six-hour practice camp.
The Hays High School cheer team completed this feat on Sept. 17. During the practice camp, they spent the time to learn new choreography for each section of their routine for the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) State Game Day Competition on Nov. 18.
For the weeks leading up to the state competition, they will clean up their routine because not only is it closely judged, but also numerous schools compete there.
“I am a little nervous about state because we compete in front of a large crowd from all over the state and go against some tough competition,” senior cheerleader Hannah Klein said.
For the state competition, the cheer squad will be competing in three sections: a band dance, a cheer and a fight song. If the team places in the Top 6 spots, the judges will call for an offense or a defense cheer.
To make the fight song routine more modern, the team has added flags, signs and ripples throughout the routine. Before state, they will also participate in the annual competition hosted by Thomas More Prep. on Nov. 4 in order to work out any final moves.
“I am most excited to spend time with my team and to enjoy competing with them,” senior cheerleader Hailey Klein said.
26kfischer@usd489.com
