The Cambridge-Isanti High School competition cheerleading team made history this season after qualifying to compete in the 2017 world championships for the first time.
The cheerleading team swept the competition this season, winning titles no cheer team in the area has before and surpassing the success of their previous seasons.
“This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year,” said Jackets cheer coach Angie Lindberg. “We lost some key players over the last two years, and we’re working with some girls brand-new to cheer.”
In the fall, the varsity squad set out to win a state title and advance to the semifinal round at the most prestigious high school cheerleading competition in the country. Lindberg said everyone gave their sweat, blood and heart this year.
“I could not be any more proud of these 12 girls,” Lindberg said. “They weathered teammates leaving, injuries, adding new people that had no idea what they were doing and constant routine changes. They rose above all this and took our team past our set goals.”
The Bluejackets placed first in eight in-state competitions and won three regional titles in Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. They won the state championship on Jan. 30, a title never before received by a Cambridge-Isanti cheer team.
“Winning state for the first time was a sensational feeling,” said senior and captain Shawna Buchanan. “We had this goal from the beginning of the season, and accomplishing it was extraordinary to me. It is satisfying to know how much all the hard work this season really paid off.”
A week after state, the group of 12 cheerleaders, 15 parents and five siblings departed for the Universal Cheerleading Association National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida, to compete with cheerleaders from all over the country Feb. 3-7.
“It is a lot of fun hearing all the teams cheering with you and more fun when other Minnesota teams support you,” said senior and captain Hannah Olinger.
In competition cheerleading, teams perform three-minute routines consisting of stunting, tumbling, dance and cheer leading and are scored by a panel of judges. Teams are divided by team size and age group and are ranked based on their scores. At nationals, teams start in the preliminary rounds and have the opportunity to advance to semifinals and finals.
After two previous trips to the competition, Lindberg said her girls have learned to cope with the high-intensity atmosphere that comes with the competition.
“There was a competitiveness in the air with a side of hair spray and sass,” said second-year varsity freshman Kailee Miller.
“The atmosphere at nationals is something you need to get used to,” said third-year varsity sophomore Alexis Fortune. “It tends to be more stressful if it’s your first time, so you need to be extremely calm.”
Cambridge-Isanti placed ninth in the small varsity non-tumbling division and received a bid to compete at the world championships next year. This was the first time the Bluejackets advanced from the preliminary round.
“When we made it to the finals, I was so ecstatic,” said eighth-grader Miaya Herbst, who is new to cheerleading this year. “With our main base being so ill and having a new flier back (in the routine), as a team we rebuilt everything from the bottom up.”
“There is stress in attending this competition and performing with the best of the best and not knowing if you will get to move on, but that stress multiplies by 100 every time you advance to another round,” Lindberg said.
The coach said the team learned from watching their competitors and hopes to make the top five next year.
“As a coach I spend hours going over the score sheets, reading the comments and working through our routine to make sure we are improving all the areas the judges comment on and making sure we are utilizing every opportunity for points,” Lindberg said.
In addition to the regular competition, the Bluejackets competed at the national level in two other divisions: Game Day, where teams perform routines typical of sideline cheerleading and crowd leading, and Partner Stunt, where small groups perform their best stunt routines. The stunt group took first at state and sixth at nationals while the game day routine placed fourth at nationals.
Out of the 22 Minnesota teams from various divisions that competed at nationals, seven qualified to compete at worlds. Cambridge-Isanti competed against and beat other Minnesota teams in the finals including Woodbury, Eastview, St. Michael Albertville, Eagan, Blaine and Anoka.
“(Qualifying for worlds) wasn’t even on our radar as a possibility,” Lindberg said. “There is only one reason we did so well this year: dedication. We are always pushing the routine to the next level of difficulty, and that is hard work.”
The Bluejackets took their team motto “no excuses” and pushed themselves to be better throughout the year, the coach said. Lindberg works hard to teach her girls more than just athletics. Competition cheerleading is nearly a year-round sport with a huge time commitment, which can be trying for many athletes that participate.
“These girls learn a hard lesson about life along the way, and for those that stick with this program and make it to the end, they are prepared for real life,” Lindberg said. “Those are the girls that know the difference between wanting something and earning something. Those are the girls that know that sometimes their best isn’t enough and life is not fair. Those are the girls that know if you want something you have to work hard and never give up, you have to push yourself past your comfort zone and constantly be willing to learn and improve.”
Not only did the varsity squad have a successful season, but the other Bluejackets teams performed better than they had previously as well. The middle school team competed at state and took seventh out of 11 teams. Last year they placed last. The elementary team took sixth out of 10 teams at state and also placed last in 2015.
“We had huge improvement in our entire program. We are excited to keep working and growing,” Lindberg said. “My goals are always the same week to week, season to season: to do better than we did last time.”
The Bluejackets are offering a spring training course for new and returning athletes this summer. Information about cheerleading programs can be found in the next Cambridge-Isanti Community Education brochure.