By Alana Frank
Photo editor
Costa cheer placed second in the traditional and tenth in the game day placement at nationals in Orlando, Florida at the State Farm Field House on Feb. 12. Costa cheer traveled to Florida for the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Nationals last weekend.
Costa competed in both the Super Division Non-Tumbling preliminaries and the Large Division Non-Tumbling semifinals, ultimately earning 2nd place in the nation.
“Florida is a much bigger competition with teams from all over the country, not just Southern California,” said senior co-captain Jaydn Less. “We know that if we have the right drive toward winning, then we can accomplish it.”
In addition to recognizing Costa’s cheer team on the national level, the UCA Nationals competition provided members of the cheer team with an important bonding experience, according to junior Georgia McKnight. McKnight said the gratification of winning the competition was important to boost the team’s morale.
“Winning second place at Nationals in Florida was extremely rewarding because we put in so much hard work on and off the mat as a team, and it all paid off during our performances at Florida,” said McKnight. “Overall, Florida was an amazing experience, and it was great to bond with my teammates.”
Costa cheer received a raw score of 80.4 with only two deductions and an overall performance score of 78.4. The winning team, Rosemount High School, received a raw score and performance score of 80.2. The competition is available for viewing on tv.varsity.com.
“Getting second at nationals was such an accomplishment for Costa cheer overall; it’s the first time that the team has ever [received a] medal,” said junior Jessica Cavanagh. “I am so proud of everyone and am excited to continue to build the program. The trip was so much fun and helped us all grow closer as a team.”
In the CIF final on Jan. 28, 90 schools from Southern California competed in several divisions, such as varsity small, coed varsity large, non-tumble varsity coed, and non-tumble varsity large, in which Costa took home first place.
“The relief we felt when we heard our school get called for first place was unmatched,” said Less. “We were put under so much stress the past month with two competitions on back-to-back weekends and many injuries and obstacles on the way.”
Costa competed against several high schools, including Palos Verdes Peninsula, Garden Grove, Sergestrom, Crescenta Valley, Rialto, Mira Mesa, and Irvine. Mira Mesa came in 2nd place behind Mira Costa.
“It’s very nerve-racking to perform as anything could go wrong in the routine, and you just have to keep calm and remember your counts and places,” said junior Gianna Scott. “There were many high schools from all across Southern California, and teams were competing from 8 a.m. to around 5 p.m.”
According to Scott, Costa cheer put in many months of preparation and work to gain the 1st-place title. The groups only have two minutes and 30 seconds each to perform. According to Less, cheer competitions are much harder to win than other sports because every detail counts.
“To win CIF at Costa felt so joyful and almost relieving after all of our hard work,” said junior Kylie Cubic. “The atmosphere at being at our own gym was very comforting, and I think it helped us relax a little more than we usually do.”
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