Last year, Benjamin Cheerleading became a competitive team for the first time in recent school history. This year, as the squad stepped onto the mat, the girls were ready to show just how far they had come.
During the 2024-25 season, Benjamin Competitive Cheer advanced from FHSAA Regionals to State Finals, and this year, they were ready to make it far in the competition bracket once again. There was one slight change this year: the team had changed divisions from Small Non-Tumbling to Medium Non-Tumbling.
The team’s training for this season began last Spring, when they started to learn and perfect new skills. After months of practice, their 2-minute 30-second routine was ready to be showcased.
Senior Regan Pych explains the team’s training, “We have a bunch of different coaches who work with high schools across the state come in so they can give us tips on the routine and help us with the choreography. But, we initially do a choreo weekend in August where we make the basic formations and plan of the routine.”
The first competition the Benjamin Cheerleaders attended was the annual Seminole Ridge Competition, in which they placed first. After this, they had a challenging and somewhat disappointing performance at Regionals, with a few bobbles and stunt falls.
“Regionals didn’t go as well as we expected, but I’m glad we still tried our best and made it through to States to actually show everyone what we were training for,” explained senior and team captain Chloe York.
Although Regionals did not go as hoped, the team was able to advance to State Semi-Finals. This feat inspired them to continue working hard and training to be the best team they could be. This included various improvements in stunt difficulties, like more spinning skills.
On Friday, Jan. 23, the team traveled to Lakeland, Florida, to perform at the State Championship Semi-Finals. Despite hitting their routine, they unfortunately just fell short of making it to the Finals, leading to a sad end to the season.
York explained, “States was a way better performance and even though we didn’t place as high as we wanted, I’m extremely happy with the routine we put out and how we felt about it.”
While this season may not have had the ending the team had hoped for, they are excited to continue to grow Benjamin’s competitive cheer program and return even stronger next year.
Sophomore Teresa Gorman shares her future goals for the team, “I feel like sometimes people don’t understand how hard we work for what we do and think of it as something that is unserious, but I want people to take it as something that is challenging and worth watching and joining. We improved with overall excitement this year, which brought vibes up and helped us hit and do the best we’ve ever done, so I want to continue that next year too. I want us to continue improving because of the support we all gave each other.”
Overall, Benjamin Cheerleading had a promising second season as a competitive team. Their dedication and ability to withstand adversity truly show just how much they love the sport. Hopefully, they will come back next year ready to fight and compete for a spot in the State Finals.
