The Panther Creek Cheer Team, coming off of a long and hard season of cheering for the football team, are excited to have started their competition season! Interviewers for Panther Creek News Network sat down with the cheer team and their coach to learn about all of the hard work and preparation that went into their first competition performance, more about the ins and outs of the team in general, and their excitement to be back on the mat.

The cheer team’s first competition on November 16th was a powerful start to the competition season. Coach of the PC Cheer team, Coach Sopko, stated, “The experience was actually really great. We performed probably our best routine…it was our best performance that we’ve seen to date, so I’m hoping the state championship this weekend will be even better for us.”

The performance was refreshing for the team as it was their first competition routine since their season abruptly ended this January when they found out they couldn’t compete at UCA Nationals. Finding out they would not attend was devastating for the team, “It took us really by surprise since last year our entire focus was attending UCA nationals in Orlando,” said Tanisha, a junior on the team.

Tanisha added, “Two weeks before we were supposed to compete at the regional competition that would give us our bid to go to nationals, the county released a statement saying we couldn’t…We felt really discouraged by that.” Tia, a sophomore, said: “It was really frustrating because we had worked so hard, and so I just felt like it was wasted.”

The team, frustrated at the thought of not competing, fought for a chance to compete at the National Competition. Tanisha and her teammates took action, emailing the Wake County athletic director to express their concerns. But the team still was not able to compete. “I don’t think any other sport has faced these kinds of limitations…we were told last year we couldn’t go, even though we did get a bid,” said Tanisha.

But hopes are high for this year’s season, as the team does not have to earn a bid to compete – it is ensured they will be at Nationals this season. “When we heard the news it was really shocking,” said PCHS senior Anna, frustrated about the deprivation of last year’s competition. But Anna and others are hopeful. “We’re going to another national this year, so now I’m positive about it…There’s a lot of energy in the group. I’m really enjoying all of the practices and games we go to because everyone is happy.”

The team’s vehement frustration about last year’s loss is likely what inspired their incredible performance at their first competition. While they viewed the judging as harsh, they were definitely glad to be competing again, which showed their excitement as a team. “It was fun overall, and we did pretty well…the judging was bad just for everybody, but the actual experience of the competition was really fun and just a good experience,” Tia said.

Coach Sopko and the team look ahead to the rest of the season, excited to show their skills at the national competition and perform their routines. Coach Sopko described her efforts to bring the team to more advanced, higher-stakes competitions, “I have just been doing non-stop research. I have friends from all over the country that have been supportive. I’m friends with many different organizations that have tried to help us with different competitions that we can attend, as well as just me on my own, all day [and] all night, looking up things and making sure that our team has the best experience at wherever we can go.”

Sopko is also looking to the future with the squad. “We are trying to grow out of NC and the regional area, and this will give us that experience to see other teams from other states and compete against them and see where we fall.”

The team looks forward to the state competition this weekend, coming off a good performance at their first competition. Good luck Catamount Cheerleaders!