Pioneers Cheer Squad Captures Third Consecutive Title

's sideline cheer team spends much of its time rooting for the school's teams. But now, everyone's cheering for them.

For the third time in as many seasons, the team has won the sport’s most prestigious competition: the Spirit Shine Celebration for Sideline Cheer and All-Star Teams, which took place Feb. 5 and 6 at the Birch Run Expo Center.

“This is it for us,” Pioneers cheer coach Kelly Martin said. “This is the big event in our sport, and I’m really proud of this team for winning. They worked so hard, and they deserve it.”

The squad won the event in the Cheer and Dance-with-Mounting Division–one of three divisions teams from schools and communities all over the region could compete in. And the honor didn’t come about by accident, according to Martin.

“The kids were very focused this year,” Martin said. “They came to me back in July and said, 'We have to start practicing earlier this year,' so we did. That’s how determined and motivated they were this year.”

Unlike competitive cheer teams, this squad is a sideline cheer squad, meaning these are the girls you see at football games and basketball games all year long. Most competitive cheer squads are dedicated to competitions throughout the season exclusively–not cheering during school events.

As a result, these girls have less time to work on the routines and stunts that they perform during the Spirit Shines Celebration event.

“These are the girls that you see cheering on Friday nights for football and twice a week during basketball season,” Martin said. “It’s different than competitive cheer. They compete all season long, while a sideline team doesn’t do that. We have this one, big competition, and the rest of the time we’re at games.”

Martin says the support of the school–particularly athletic director Kevin Harris, boys basketball coach Kevin Barkoff and football coach David Mifsud–has been outstanding, but the entire school system has also embraced the team.

“I think we feel a lot of support from parents, students, the school administration and the community,” Martin said. “And I also think we get a lot of respect for what we do, too.

"The girls get so much positive feedback. That’s great to see.”

The positive comments and feedback are well-deserved, adds Martin. The amount of athletic ability, talent and creativity needed to earn such a prestigious title is usually very underestimated by those who don’t pay close attention to what these girls can actually do.

“I think people who have someone involved with sideline cheer know how tough it is,” the coach said. “You have to be a good athlete, a good dancer, and you have to be strong, too. Also, you have to be able to learn all these cheer routines, which can be very complicated. These kids are amazing.”

Couple this talent with the work ethic and dedication the team displayed this year, and you have all the ingredients of a championship squad.

“This was a total team effort; it really was,” Martin said. “These kids really trust each other, and they really like each other and that is a big help. They’re just such a great bunch of kids. I’m proud of them.”