“I knew we had some talent heading into this season. If we were going to win a championship, this was going to be the year,” says Clay High School competitive cheerleading coach Lori Davis. As things turned out, this was indeed the year. CHS, with its squad of 26 (20 females and six males), won the 2013-14 1A Large Co-ed state title. While cautiously optimistic at the start of the season, Coach Davis admits that she didn’t necessarily expect to win a championship, even after her team placed third in its first meet of the year, qualifying for nationals in the process. The beginning of the season is always difficult; most of her male team members play football, and if the football team enjoys a strong playoff run (like this year – the football team played for a state title), the guys join the team late and have to play catch-up.
One of the biggest pieces of the competition cheerleading puzzle is communication. Yes, team members need the physical skills – the tumbling, stunting, and for the men, the strength and technique needed to lift the girls – but they must also work together as a unit and know exactly where each team member is during a particular routine. It also helps to know what the judges are looking for. Teams must do everything they can to max out their score sheets. And this year, Clay High did just that. “The kids spend so much time together, it’s like they’re brothers and sisters. We work hard to keep them focused and on task. Once they decided to put the team first, everything clicked,” she says.
Clay High participated in six meets from October to February. The goal at the start of the season was simple: Do their very best and have fun along the way. Clay made a statement early by qualifying for nationals. “When they got that bid to nationals, we knew we could do it. When we went to regionals, with the routine we had, we knew we had a chance to go all the way,” says Coach Davis.
At state, the co-ed division was split into a 1A and 2A. As such, there was only one round in which the teams competed. To win, there would be no margin for error. Teams had one chance to nail their routines, and there wouldn’t be any opportunity to recover from a mistake, no matter how small. When Clay finished its routine, Coach Davis and the Clay faithful felt good about the team’s chances. “I knew we were up there, in the top three at least. I kind of thought the defending champions, Eustis High, beat us. They were very good,” she recalls. Thankfully for Clay, the judges saw it differently and awarded the state title to Clay.
Almost as soon as her team was named state champion, Coach Davis began looking to next year. “I think we can be just as good or better. We’re losing nine seniors, but only one is a boy. We should be strong again, especially after the experience our team gained this year,” says Davis.
And that’s good news for Clay High but terrible news for their opponents.
There are always a ton of factors that go into winning a championship: talent, coaching, a willingness of the players to support the system, and, of course, a lot of luck. Coach Davis believes a lot of the credit goes to the support she receives from the parents of her team members, her principal Pete McCabe, her assistant coach Amanda Stilianou, and the rest of the Clay High community. Winning a championship takes an entire school community, and she is truly appreciative of all the support she and her team have received.
Special Feature/Jacksonville/May 2014
Clay High School Competitive Cheer Championship
Clay High School
Robert Preston Jr.
Clay High School wins its first-ever competitive cheer state title
