Their motto is Keep On Survivin’, and that’s exactly what the Waiakea Warriors cheer squad did Wednesday night en route to a first-place finish at the BIIF cheerleading championships.
The team picked up 335 points to earn the title for the second year in a row.
“It’s great,” head coach Lody Switzer said after the judges had made their final decision. Now, she said, the pressure is on the squad to perform well at the HHSAA championships next week in Honolulu.
But the Warriors exemplified grace under pressure, pushing through a rocky start after the sound system at Waiakea’s gym malfunctioned and caused the music for the team routine to skip in and out. The judges opted to give the Warriors a re-do once the sound system was fixed, a decision that earned cheers and applause not only from the packed stands, but the four other squads competing.
Waiakea returned to the mats with a new intensity. Its final score topped that of last year’s winning routine (328.5 points).
“When we talk about sports and sportsmanship, these teams really show it,” Keaau athletic director Iris McGuire said before announcing the winners.
Switzer said that practice was about more than just mastering a routine.
“We also teach them (that) in case this happens, in case this fails, you need to prevail,” she said.
Waiakea assistant coach Tanya Switzer said the team had been working on its competition routine since September. Its pyramid (“The highest target you can get,” she said) was the most challenging portion.
Keaau’s six-person squad —the smallest among the five schools competing — placed third with a total of 269 points. The Cougars along with second-place finisher Kamehameha (276.5 points), will also compete in the state tournament.
Kealakehe took fourth place with 261.25 points, and Hawaii Prep was fifth with 238.
Seniors from each of the squads were honored throughout the evening, as their families presented them with lei and flowers. Emcees Jaci Parong and Ariana Ramo-Segovia, both Waiakea alums, kept the crowd entertained between routines, at one point pulling three cheer moms onto the gym floor to perform jumps.
Members of the Waiakea cheerleading squad are Maya Acosta-Cabamungan, Molly Amick, Jazmine Correa, Annique Daquep, Rachel Deguchi, Emma Fincher, Grace Fincher, Chanel Higashi, Mariah Higashi, Dannyelle Leialoha, Chelsey Peresa-Porter, Sole Ridgway, Alexis Saito, Brentt Sentino, Kobe Uyeda, Shaelynn Vallente and Zoey Vera-Cruz.
Waiakea coaches are Lody Switzer, Tanya Switzer and Race Decoito
