Central Indians, Savannah Savages' cheer teams to compete in state competition

For the Indians, they’re led by just three seniors, but despite being young, their work ethic is that of experienced teams.

“They’re a young team. They’re very competitive, and I like that drive that they come in with every practice,” Central head coach Amy Barnette. “They always come in with a good drive, good attitude and they’re always wanting to do better.”

Something that most individuals don’t understand about competitive cheer is the amount of time, effort, and work that goes into these routines. Central incorporated three practices a week, all starting at 5:30 a.m.

The sport also features very precise scoring, awarding points for things such as facial expressions, uniforms, and other minuscule and huge factors. With hours and hours spent with each other, the chemistry has played a huge factor in helping create success on the mat.

“They’re creating a level of comfort with each other. You can see it in how they interact with one another,” Barnette said. “They move mats together, they’re going out doing things together. They go get coffee, they go get lunch, and you can see that.”

Savannah will compete in the 3A large division, and central will compete in the 5A small division. The Indians have been in arms reach of a state title before and after a rough last two years, the team is ready to accomplish what they couldn’t before.

“It was kind of, kind of an overall rough year because everyone was recovering from COVID and everyone got sick or hurt,” senior Zoe Truax said. “So getting to go to state and actually having the chance to win and really getting to show them what we have is pretty exciting.”

Most noticeable for the seniors is that this will be their last time competing at the state level. While there may be a lot of smiles and tears shared on Saturday, the mix of emotions shows how much these athletes care about the sport, and the team.

“I think I’m really excited because like, my whole high school career and then obviously this year has just been us working towards getting to this exact moment,” Truax said. “It’s also kind of sentimental because it’s my last year on the team. It’s my last time getting to like do this routine with the girls.”