Cheerleaders compete at state Saturday
GBHS girls to compete early in Medium Varsity Division
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

Photo courtesy of Stone's Studio Ready for a road trip The GBHS varsity cheerleaders will be in Boca Raton Saturday to compete in the FHSAA's first Competitive Cheerleading Competition.

The Gulf Breeze High varsity cheerleading squad will be competing the inaugural Florida High School Athletic Association's Competitive Cheerleading Championships Saturday at Florida Atlantic University.

The 16-member squad will participate in the Medium Varsity division for squads between 13-16 members. The group has been practicing their four minute routine since January for four or five hours a day four days a week. They didn't get started on their routine until then because of their preoccupation with perfecting their cheers for the football and basketball teams.

Gulf Breeze will compete with 16 other squads in Group B. Group A has 17 teams. "The routine has a combination of tumbling, dancing, stunts and chants. "It'll be four minutes of all out physical prowess," advisor Amy Askegren said.

Before they reach that level, the squad has been battling all types of bumps, bruises and scraps synonymous with such a competition.

"Advanced stunts mean advanced injuries," said Askegren before one of her cheerleaders chimed in.

"Back pain, leg pain, arm pain, face pain," said senior Sarah Hyman, showing off a two-week old bruise on her arm.

"They're doing really well," said Carlee McCullers, a 2001 GBHS grad (and former cheerleader) who chereographed their routine. "Most of the state has cheer squads that practice all year long."

The squad is one of the first to perform at the FAU Arena. They check in 7:54 a.m. Eastern time, start rehearsal at 7:58, start tumbling at 8:02 with an 8:24 start time.

Escambia and Crestview High Schools are the only other area squads in the Medium Squad Division. The squad includes seniors Chrissy Helvenston, Hyman, Kadee Kennedy and Sarah Morgan, juniors Amanda Bennett, Bayleigh Boles, Maggie Clark, Maci deMahy, Elise Fromularo, Natalie Landry, Elizabeth Niles, Casey Redish, Kady Reeves, Kari Stephenson and sophomores Kayla James and Margaret Pagonis.