An already eventful winter just became a more memorable season for the Coronado High School cheer squad after they were crowned national champions of the Level 1 Medium A division during a two-day competition in Las Vegas last month.
The squad’s journey started in early December when they won the California Interscholastic Federation title against the defending champion, Westview High School of Torrey Highlands.
Coronado coach Lee Smith described it as a feeling like no other because the team had made history with its first CIF title in Coronado cheer history.
However, the real work was only just beginning after the December victory, according to Smith.
He said the girls spent the remainder of the month preparing for the national championship, which occurred Jan. 27-28.
“We explained to them that we will need to work just as hard to achieve the results that we want. The scoresheets are different from CIF competition versus nationals, so we needed to adjust our routine to max out the points needed for a win,” said Smith.
The adjustments the girls made during their break between competitions paid off, he said, as Coronado took down over 10 other high schools to secure their victory at the national championship.
Smith said some of the changes to the team’s routine included a new stunt section, as well as an addition to the pyramid they traditionally execute during their routine.
The new and improved stunts the girls pulled off in Las Vegas were perfected in just three weeks, according to Smith.
He said a multitude of repetitions helped the squad’s ability to learn complicated stunts on the fly.
“The girls keep themselves focused on their own. They do not want their hard work to go to waste, so they show up prepared and ready to go,” said Smith.
The job, however, isn’t finished.
The team now is preparing for their next—and final—competition, which takes place starting Feb. 11.
The girls will head to Bakersfield this time, where they will face off against other California squads in hopes of bringing another championship trophy back to Coronado.
