Our UCHS cheerleaders are usually the ones cheering on others; now it’s time to cheer them on! This Saturday, they begin their competition season in the KHSAA Regional Cheer Championships at McCracken County High School in Paducah. The competition begins at 10:00 a.m., and Union County will perform at 11:24 a.m.
The cheerleaders will compete in the “Game Day” classification, a category designed to mimic what cheerleaders would perform at a typical football game. Their 3-minute routine will include elements of a band dance, situational sideline chant, cheer, and a fight song routine.
Harvi Curtis, in her 15th year as UC Cheer head coach, commented on the challenges of the routine. “It requires an extreme amount of energy, precision, and preparation” she highlighted. But she also pointed out that her student-athletes are up to the challenge and have shown the dedication it takes to be competitive.
Anyone familiar with Union County cheerleading knows that it takes a year-round commitment that is difficult yet very fun and rewarding. In fact, this year’s squad started practicing in May and began working on choreography in June. They’ve been practicing 4-5 days a week throughout the fall in addition to their performances at Friday night football games.
At practices, they rehearse very specific elements of their routine to perfect every part. They also attempt several “full out” performances every practice, complete run-throughs of the entire 3-minute performance with full energy. “For those performances, you definitely have to be physically and mentally in the game the whole time,” Curtis explains. So, the group is undoubtedly well-prepared.
On Saturday, they’ll compete against seven other teams in their division, all vying for the top three spots which would qualify them for State. Union County has a long history of State qualifications and has even earned a spot on the State awards podium (reserved for the top 4 teams) three times. Curtis believes this year’s team has what it takes to keep that winning tradition going. “They want to be champions,” she emphasized.
That competitive drive won’t end this Saturday, no matter the results. The very next weekend, UC Cheer has another competition, a Nationals Qualifier event in Lebanon, Tennessee. This event is separate from the KHSAA Regional/State events and is sanctioned by the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA). At that competition, Union County has the opportunity to qualify for the UCA High School Nationals held in Orlando, Florida in February 2024.
At each competition, the cheerleaders are judged on many elements including motion technique, stunts, visual appeal, energy, transitions, engagement, and crowd effectiveness. Like all athletes, the cheerleaders feed off the energy of their own fans, so they’d like to invite everyone to be in the stands this Saturday at McCracken County (see ticket link below).
We thank our cheerleaders for your extreme dedication, and we wish you the best in your competition season! Go UC!
Ticket Link for Regional Cheer Competition: https://gofan.co/event/1176901?schoolId=KY13133