The Commerce High Cheer Tigers earned a spot at the state championship meet in Columbus on Nov. 12 after winning the Region 8-A title last Saturday.
The cheerleading squad outscored its competition by more than 40 points, despite faltering on a stunt they’ve not missed all season.
Though upset after the unexpected fall, the team seemed at ease Monday about their weekend performance. Accidents happen, said senior Ann Drinkard.
“When you don’t score a high score before state, you worry,” she said, referring to the 20-plus points the Tigers dropped on mistakes. “But it was a freak thing.”
Coach Dianne Cotrell also remained confident Monday the maneuver would remain in the program.
“That stunt has never fallen. It upset me and upset the team. But things happen even though you’ve practiced something over and over and over again,” she said. “We did a real good job at region. We performed really well, besides the deduction. It’s just that at state, you cannot make mistakes.”
This week the coach and her team focused on how Cheer Tigers’ program matches up with the most competitive teams in Class A.
In order to shore up some possible point opportunities, the Commerce squad may incorporate a couple of small changes into its standard performance, Cotrell said. The alterations are designed to enhance the girls’ precision, which could be a determining factor in Columbus, the coach added.
“I think the key to it this year is a clean, sharp routine,” Cotrell said. “I feel like if we perform and it’s clean and not shaky, we have a chance to win that title.”
Reconfigured judging sheets significantly altered how programs are judged this season. As a result, a lot of teams in Georgia have struggled a bit with execution. That is why Cotrell’s emphasis is on clean programs.
She also acknowledged the pressure such meets deliver as a key intangible in competition. Cotrell said she tries to coach the girls how to cope with mistakes on the fly with grace and poise, and most of all, as a team.
In discussing the squad’s dynamics, Drinkard explained how realistic the team is about its goals.
Yes, the Cheer Tigers are aiming for a top-three. But most of all, they want to cast-off any doubts by producing their top performance together, the senior said.
“We are trying to make sure we do our best,” Drinkard explained, “so that no matter how it turns out we know we did our best.”
