Stone Bridge Cheerleaders Win Semifinals
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Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Stone Bridge varsity cheerleaders are in the race for yet another state title after defeating seven Fairfax County squads at the Liberty District Cheer Semifinals at South Lakes High School Wednesday evening.
The squad will be performing in the district finals Tuesday. After winning the state title in each of the past three years, a win at district would keep the winning streak alive.
"I'm just so excited and relieved that we put it all out on the floor," senior captain Aubray Rositano said. "It's the best feeling ever."
The Bulldogs placed fourth at the Handley Cheer Challenge earlier this season, then took first place at the Park View Spiritfest Invitational.
The squad this year has a new head coach and nine new members. The team's record is an indication of how it is adjusting to the new faces, team members said.
Photo Gallery
Stone Bridge at District Semifinals
The Stone Bridge cheerleaders line up with the other competing squads before the start of the Liberty District Cheer Semifinals. (Sarah Snyder)
Junior Courtney Campbell and sophomore Shelly Cross cheer as the squads are introduced. (Sarah Snyder)
The Stone Bridge cheerleaders take the floor, ready for round one of the competition. (Sarah Snyder)
Junior Captain Sierra Ellis shows her team spirit as the squad steps onto the mat. (Sarah Snyder)
The team succeeds in their scorpion stunt at the beginning of its routine. (Sarah Snyder)
Known for their vocal projection, the Stone Bridge cheerleaders get the crowd involved during a cheer. (Sarah Snyder)
The Stone Bridge mascot high-fives the team after its performance in Round One. (Sarah Snyder)
The Stone Bridge cheerleaders hit the scorpion stunt as the competing teams look on. (Sarah Snyder)
The team strikes the final pose in their performance at the District Semifinals. (Sarah Snyder)
The cheerleaders celebrate after their performance in the second round. (Sarah Snyder)
Stone Bridge anticipates the results of the second round, which determines what order the team will perform in at District Finals. (Sarah Snyder)
After all of the other teams have been called, the Stone Bridge cheerleaders realize they have won. (Sarah Snyder)
"Coming in, I knew they would be talented," head coach Brandi Sims said. "There is a very strong sense of team. They have no attitude problems and they work very well together. That has been a big part of their success, and hopefully continued success this year."
The team has its own way of ensuring success. Before any competition, the cheerleaders go through a series of rituals: After the chants, prayers and songs, each girl must eat at least one Goldfish cracker and one Oreo cookie. And when they enter the gym, they all hit the door -- "knocking on wood" -- before performing.
"It's a lot of little things that just boost our confidence before we go on," sophomore squad member Kara Ellis said.
The Bulldogs' routine consists of dancing, tumbling, cheers and stunts. Some of the more complex skills incorporated in the routine include full twisting layouts, which are running, tumbling moves; standing tucks, which are backflips with no hands; double toe-touch back handsprings; and a high release move from pyramid formation.
"I was a little wary on the first round, but on the second round we all just got our confidence multiplied 110 percent," Shiori Meadows, a junior, said after Wednesday's win. "It just got so much better the second time. We're really proud of ourselves."
The cheerleaders said they will be using the next two practices before finals to polish up on stunts.
"We want to look at what's working and what's not working and see what adjustments we have to make before we go to the finals," Sims said. "That's the biggest thing."
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Thank you for the great story & coverage! Competitive cheer has become a huge sport in this area with three of the six AA and AAA state finalist teams last year from this area.
Posted by ellisjj2002 (anonymous) on October 18, 2007 at 6:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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