by Sumner Widdoes
Staff Writer
10/19/2006
If
you??re having a bad day, the Dominion District Cheering Competition
might be the best place for you. On Wednesday night, seven of the eight
Dominion District cheer squads showed off routines that infused spirit,
energy, and excitement into the entire crowd on hand at James River
High.
With
a strong emphasis on sportsmanship and positive attitudes, each team
represented its school proudly ?? screaming cheers, waving banners, and
constantly smiling from ear to ear.
James River played host not only to the Cosby, Monacan, Clover Hill, Manchester, L.C. Bird, and Midlothian
cheering teams, but also to well over 500 spectators. Each school had
its own designated cheering section, but that did not stop the entire
crowd from unanimously cheering for every squad that performed.
Wednesday??s
competition was the first in each team??s quest to represent the
district in the Central Region Cheerleading Championships, which will
be held at Virginia Commonwealth University??s Siegel Center
on Wednesday, November 1. While the teams were judged on their
performances tonight, they will all advance to the next round of
qualifying, which is on Wednesday, October 25 at Manchester High School.
The
scores of tonight??s performances count for 1/3 of each team??s overall
district score, meaning that the next qualifying round will count for
the remaining 2/3. Only the top four teams will advance from the
District Finals to the Central Region Championships.
The night began with host school James River??s
performance, followed by a newcomer to the Dominion League, the Cosby
Titans. Just before they took the stage, Cosby got an emphatic
welcoming cheer from the Clover Hill cheerleaders, which drew
appreciative applause from most of the crowd.
Monacan
followed the Titans with a strong performance, and an equally vibrant
cheering section. Accompanied by its dance team and mascot, the Chief, Monacan may have been a bit too excited, as it had points deducted for unsportsmanlike influence from the fans.
Clover Hill and Manchester performed next, submitting stellar routines that were among the night??s most impressive. L.C. Bird and Midlothian concluded the competition, during which universal sportsmanship and support for each performance were remarkably prevalent.
Before
the announcer read the final standings he invited every competitor back
to the court for a ??Cha Cha Slide? line dance. Fittingly, every team
hustled to center court and stomped around to the song.
When
the announcer read the final results, he withheld the judges?? actual
scores, as well as the overall rankings. Instead, he listed the top
four finishers in alphabetic order: Clover Hill, Cosby, James River and
Manchester. It provided the perfect ending for one of the most astonishingly wholesome and dedicated competitions in high school sports.
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