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Photo by Hans Hallgren

Clara Tomlin practices Thursday with her fellow Moffat County High School cheer team members. The team heads to the state regional tournament this weekend at Mesa State University.

Photo by Hans Hallgren

The junior Moffat County Thunder All-Star cheer team poses for a photo Thursday night during practice at Gymstar Fun N Fit Gymnastics. The Thunder are fielding two teams at this year's competition - a junior team and a senior team.

MCHS spirit squad heads to regionals

More than 100 hours of practice has come down to this.

The Moffat County High School spirit squad competes in the state regional tournament Saturday in Grand Junction, with a season's worth of hard work bottled into a 2-minute routine at Mesa State University.

"Because we don't compete regularly like the other sports teams do," MCHS dance team coach Anngie Sparks said, "regional competition and state competition is really all the dance and cheerleading teams have to look forward to as far as competing against other teams."

So the team is replacing the two minutes afforded at each Bulldogs home football game for two minutes in front of a much larger crowd - on a much larger scale.

"This is pretty much the main event of our season," MCHS cheer coach Naomi Villard said. "It's what we've been looking forward to all season long."

The dance and cheer teams practiced in separate locations Thursday evening, but they both have the same goal come Saturday.

"We are going to perform our state routine," Sparks said. "It gives us a great opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd and work out any kinks we might have before we go to state."

The cheer and dance teams - regardless of how regionals turn out - head to the state finals in two weeks.

But despite the automatic state berth, the regional tourney's importance can't be understated.

"You know the girls have a lot of nerves right now, and they are probably on edge a bit, too," Villard said. "But that's why we have regionals. It gives them a chance to get the butterflies out of their system and get an idea of what we need to work on for farther along down the road."

Routines performed by dancers and cheerleaders are judged on a degree of difficulty ranging from zero to four.

Both teams are bringing routines rated higher than a three with them to Grand Junction.

"We have an all-new routine," Sparks said. "I choreographed the majority of it, and the girls helped out with the rest. We are performing a lot of moves that we have never performed before."

The competition will be tough, the crowd loud and the building larger than any performed in so far this season.

But regardless of the amount of pressure felt brewing in MCHS' spirit squad, it's all about having a good time.

"I just want the girls to go out there and have fun," Villard said. "This is something that they are all going to remember. No matter what happens, the main thing I want the girls to take away from this is that they had fun."

Moffat County All-Star cheer team hits the road

November is a month when the seasons begin to change, families prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving and sports teams around town are preparing for the winter season.

Not the Moffat County Thunder.

The Thunder - a collaboration of Craig and the surrounding areas' finest tumblers - are hard at work.

You see, the Thunder's season is just beginning.

Saturday's regional tournament in Grand Junction marks the first competitive event of the season for the all-star cheer team.

It's the first step in what coach Jannie Brenner said is a long road.

"This is our opportunity to get a bid for nationals," Brenner said. "So, we are really competing against a score card. Trophies are nice, but we need that bid."

Unlike the high school cheer and dance teams that compete in regionals on the same day - and at the same location - the All-Star squad doesn't get a pass to the next stage, regardless of how they perform.

To advance from Saturday's competition at Mesa State University in Grand Junction to the nationals in Las Vegas, the Thunder must place in the top 20 percent.

"All-Star is a whole different program," Brenner said. "This is our season-opener. I'm sure the girls are a bundle of nerves and scared to death, but they'll be fine. Once the music starts, they do their job."

The team advanced to the nationals last season, but this year, things have changed.

The Thunder will be sending two squads this year - a junior team and a senior team - and the degree of difficulty in the team's routine has been upgraded.

"We are performing at about a 3.8 (out of four)," Brenner said. "We learned from nationals last year what we needed to do better, so we're working harder.

"This year, we plan on going over the top."