Bringing home hardware from 3A state contest

WORLAND – Since 2009, the Worland High School cheerleading squad has been working to get back into the top three at the state competition and they succeeded last Wednesday with a third-place finish in the 3A non-stunt division.

"Two years ago we thought we had a great routine," Coach Tammy Montoya said. The judges didn't think so, so she began looking at what the judges wanted. She said they didn't need something fancy but all the jumps needed to be in synch.

Montoya said, "The girls knew what they needed to do. They practiced every piece of the routine."

She said Assistant Coach Amy Worley choreographed the routine and made sure that every move had a beat, which helped give the performance a cleaner look.

"She did a great job choreographing the routine thanks to her own experience cheerleading in high school and college. She was great at motivating the girls. Our program was blessed to have her join us."

Montoya said she thought the team might get dinged by not having as many transitions (as other teams), but Worley kept saying she believed the team would finish in the top three, something she kept telling the girls all season.

"They executed their jumps. Even the judges mentioned they had beautiful jumps," Montoya said.

The team was confident when they performed, something Montoya attributes to being able to perform the routine several times at the regional basketball tournament in Douglas the weekend prior to the state contest, and to not having to go first in the competition. She said it seemed like nearly every year, Worland was one of the first teams performing. This year they performed eighth.

Montoya said when Worland was announced as third place the excitement throughout the team was "indescribable. It had been so long since we had been in the top three. We couldn't hold back the tears."

Worland took third in 2009, their highest finish in the past 10 years. Montoya said having taken third this year, the team now has sights on a state title, something they achieved in 1999 and 2000.

"I'm so proud of the commitment [from the cheerleaders]," Montoya said. Without everyone being committed to making the routine a success, Montoya said there was no way to ensure the routine was working the way it was supposed to.

In addition to practicing after school above the gym or in the foyer, the team practiced a few times before the state contest at 6:30 a.m. so they could practice on the gym floor. Montoya admitted with a grin, she had to entice the girls with homemade breakfast burritos to make the early morning practices.

The third-place team were seniors Kendre Kidgell, also an All-State selection, and Madison Dupree, junior Raylee Salinas, sophomore Maria Rodriguez and freshmen Alexis Sandoval, Raelyn Wilson, Trinity Christian and Katarena Leyva.