Colquitt County High School Lady Packer competitive cheerleading squad prepares for 2023 season

Published 11:00 am Monday, June 12, 2023

MOULTRIE – 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

This is the single communal thought that consumed the minds of about 20 Colquitt County High School competitive cheer athletes and coaches Thursday and Friday during the two day camp where UCA came to assist with the sharpness of stunt foundation moves of the Lady Packer squad.

“Sharpness means hitting the right movement at the right speed,” said head coach Carissa McKinney.

Over and over again, each of the four stunt groups repeated their movements, working on their timing and execution both within their individual group and as a squad.

To put in perspective the importance of timing in competitive cheerleading, compare it to reading sheet music.

When a musician is reading music, if it says to play a C chord on the downbeat and then a D chord on the immediate following upbeat beat, (meaning both chords are played in the same count) but the musician waits one full count to play the second chord, then the song won’t sound right.

A listener might still know what the song they are listening to, but it won’t sound the way it does on the album.

Same concept with competitive cheerleading.

The routine will still be recognizable if one or two stunt groups are off the beat, however, the end result will not be what is desired and could lose the squad points due to the judges not seeing that uniformity they are looking for.

That’s why, during the UCA camp, the camp centered around fine-tuning the timing on specific stunts, including inversions and full-ups.

Inversions are when the flyer (person who is up in the air on the stunt) starts in a handstand position before being lifted up, and a full-up is when the flyer twists 360 degrees on the way to the top of the stunt.

Getting assistance with their stunt movement isn’t the only advantage from bringing in UCA.

“The UGA girls are the ones who judge for the All American team,” said McKinney. “Some of our girls want to try that, and this will give them an added bonus.”

Four of the Lady Packer athletes made the 2023 All-American team: Chandler Horne, Ashley Almond, Anabele Gonzales and Annabelle Brooks.

Those athletes will have the opportunity to choose between three or four destinations, such as Hawaii or London, to cheer at different events.

Next up for the Lady Packer competitive cheerleading squad is to learn their 2023 routine, which will be from June 12-16 when Kyle Black, hired by the competitive cheerleading program, will be in Colquitt County.