The Coronado High School competitive cheer team on Saturday secured its third big win of the season at the state championships in Bakersfield, with this title coming on the heels of a national championship victory in Las Vegas in late January.
“Considering the fact that we didn’t win anything last year, I think winning the CIF championships, nationals, and states might make this the best season Coronado cheer has ever had,” said Coach Lee Smith.
Westview High School, the defending champion, was the first team the Islanders took down in mid-December, when Coronado won its first California Interscholastic Federation banner.
It was only up from there.
Stakes continued to grow
And as the stakes grew so did the competition, Smith said.
Coronado’s girls matched up against a stacked lineup of teams from across their region when they traveled to Las Vegas for the national championships, he said.
Yet, the Islanders stepped up to the occasion, and expanded their routine to gain the edge over 10 other squads.
“Heading into states, we kept the routine the same,” Smith continued. “We thought, ‘hey if it isn’t broke don’t fix it.’”
The 2 ½ minute routine that Smith and his fellow coaches trained the girls on impressed the Bakersfield judges just as much as it did in Las Vegas, he said.
Coronado beat six other high schools that hailed from both Southern and Northern California to claim their third and final victory.
“It feels so fulfilling to end the season this way.”
-Junior Eli Norris
“It feels so fulfilling to end the season this way, and I’m incredibly grateful for the team and coaches that came together this year,” said Eli Norris, a junior on the squad.
The Islanders were able to end an already remarkable season on a high note with the state championship being the final contest of the season.
While this season couldn’t have gone any better for the Islanders, Smith said expectations for the future are through the roof.
Smith said that the returners from the prior season played a key role in keeping the team confident before performing their routines on the big stage.
He hopes that will be the case for next season, with a solid number of the girls from this year’s championship squad returning.
Even if the Islanders’ next cheer squad has newcomers, Smith isn’t worried.
Numerous contributors
This season, he said, the team had plenty of experience, but also its fair share of rookie cheerleaders who contributed in positive ways.
“It just shows how if you truly work towards something, you can do great things. We had a lot of newbies this year that caught on quickly and made an impact,” Smith said.
The Islanders used the defeats from last year to fuel their fire heading into this season, Smith said.
“We came into this year hungry to win.”
-Sophomore Lawren Craven.
“Going undefeated this season feels so rewarding after all our hard work, especially after last year when we didn’t quite make it to the top,” sophomore Lawren Craven said. “We came into this year hungry to win, and that’s what we did.”
