St. Joseph-Ogden’s cheerleading team opened its season with a second-place finish. The performance earned the Spartans a berth at the ICCA State Championships.
by Clark Brooks
The Sentinel
PONTIAC - The music hit, the count started, and for 2.5 minutes in a Pontiac gym, everything the St. Joseph-Ogden cheerleaders had trained for came down to clean landings, steady grips and unbroken focus. When it was over, the Spartans did not need a scoreboard to know they had delivered. The judges confirmed it soon after, awarding SJO a second-place finish and a ticket to the ICCA State Championships.
The runner-up showing came Dec. 6 at the team’s first competition of the season in Pontiac and earned the Spartans a berth at state on Jan. 10 at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield. It is a familiar stage for much of the roster. Last January, SJO finished 20th out of 31 teams at the ICCA Small Varsity state competition, facing a field that included area programs such as Oakwood, which placed 10th, along with Salt Fork and St. Thomas More.
Photo courtesy Mandie Gaines
SJO cheer team poses with their second place trophy from the Pontiac Invitational.
This year’s squad is young but seasoned. The roster features no seniors, with leadership coming organically from a group heavy on sophomores and juniors who already know what state-level pressure feels like. Rather than naming captains, the team relies on experience and inclusion.
Photo courtesy Mandie Gaines
“The team naturally looks to the older athletes during decision-making,” coach Ava Meyer said. “That said, the girls are incredibly inclusive and open to ideas from every member of the team.”
That collective approach matters in a sport where there is no margin for error. Competitive cheer offers one uninterrupted routine, no timeouts, no substitutions and no second chance. Every stunt, tumbling pass and eight-count must land cleanly, or points disappear quickly.
Meyer said preparation since Pontiac has been detailed and deliberate.
“We’re focusing on the judges’ feedback from our last competition in Pontiac and applying those notes to our routine,” she said. “We’re breaking things down piece by piece, leveling up our stunts, and continuing to clean and perfect every section of the routine.”
The demands of competitive cheer stretch well beyond what many casual observers realize. Athletes must blend tumbling skills that range from cartwheels to standing tucks, explosive power for jumps, upper-body strength for stunting, flexibility for clean lines and the endurance to maintain performance quality for the full routine. Precision, timing and facial expression are scored alongside difficulty and safety, leaving little room for lapses.
Photo courtesy Mandie Gaines
Meyer sees those demands shaping more than just routines.
“This team is unbelievably supportive of one another, and there is never a dull moment when they’re together,” she said. “Their enthusiasm for learning new skills is infectious, and they constantly push themselves, and each other, past what they thought they could achieve.”
Consistency, she added, is what separates strong teams from great ones.
“Being a competitive cheer team takes drive, effort, and an incredible amount of energy,” Meyer said. “When even one of those elements dips, it becomes visible in the routine, which is why I’m so proud of how consistently this team shows up with all three.”
In her first year coaching the Spartans, Meyer said the season-opening performance only reinforced her confidence in the group.
“I have never seen so much talent and determination in a single team,” she said. “These girls continue to grow and excel in everything they do. I couldn’t have asked for a better group.”
The roster includes juniors Iris Davis, Ava Smoot, Faith Jackson, Leah Gaines and Peighton Reim; sophomores Abby Reynolds, Addison Walsh, Samantha Ryan and Sorena Welsh; and freshmen Addison Wright and Presley Ideus.
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