The Tonkawa high school competitive cheer team recently competed at Game Day regionals. The competition took place on Saturday, Nov. 4th in Stroud, OK. Over 50 teams in the 2A division competed and the top 15 were chosen for State. The THS cheer received 374.4 and missed qualifying for state by less than 2 points. The teams are judged in several areas including band chant, fight song and crowd leading and many skills that go into those specific areas are evaluated. The cheer team, Buc spirit and coaches have worked very hard to prepare for this day. There have been many 5:30 am and after school practices to perfect their routine. The team participated last year for the first time in the Game Day competition and made it all the way to state.Shawn Staton is in her nineth year of coaching the team and Karri Morrill has been creating the Game Day routines the last two years. “One of the best things about this competition is that it really helps to make the sideline cheer better if done correctly. It isn’t just a ‘routine’ for us, a lot of what we do is what we do on the sidelines at the games.” Morrill said. Coach Staton says “I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best and most dedicated young ladies at THS. I have seen what cheer can do for these young ladies. Cheer isn’t just about Friday night lights. It is so much more than that. Cheerleaders know that they are representing the school and I’ve seen girls come out of their shell and become strong and confident young ladies. Cheer is also a great way to further educational opportunities as well. One of the things I love about cheer is how the little eyes are upon them and they know they have to set high standards for the younger students to follow.” THS cheer would like to thank Tonkawa schools for the new competition cheer mats purchased this year. They would also like to thank NOC for allowing them to borrow cheer mats this competition season.
