Panther cheer and dance has a new piece of hardware.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, Lynn Baker’s team traveled to Raleigh for the N.C. High School Athletic Association Invitational, joining dozens of teams from across the state in a massive all-day competition. In placing fifth in their Game Day division and second in their Traditional division, Franklin earned a brand new trophy for the case.
“The girls did amazing. They hit zero … they hit clean routines, so there were no deductions in either of their routines,” said Baker of the trip to the Piedmont. “That’s a big deal. That in itself is a big win, because we added difficulty to the routine this time.”
Ahead of the NCHSAA State Championship in January and the Universal Cheerleaders’ Association National Championships in February, the Panthers have spent the past month perfecting their routines. Between more complex choreography and a key member of the team missing time, Franklin’s finish in Raleigh defied all odds.
“We increased the difficulty of our partner stunt sequence, and added in two new skills. We cleaned up some things from feedback we had gotten at the last competition with our stunts,” said Baker of their traditional routine, a short, high-energy showcase of precisely choreographed dances. “The other challenge was, we were off for nine days at Thanksgiving, and then coming back from that one of our primary bases in both routines was out with the flu. So, we had two practices to prepare for competition with new stunts. That’s the other thing that made it even that much better – we didn’t get to prepare as much as we’d have liked to prepare.”
With just days to prepare their most difficult routine yet, the Panthers worked overtime to integrate the new skills. Upon arriving in Raleigh, the team put in an even longer day.
“It was a long day. We got to the Convention Center around 8:30, and we didn’t leave that night until about quarter ‘til 9,” said Baker. “They competed in Game Day first, and then they competed in the Traditional performance routine second. They were nervous about that, because our performance routine has more difficulty and intricate stunts. Game Day, while it is taxing because you’re yelling and you’re doing lots of things, you don’t have as difficult of stunts in it.”
Between the Traditional performance and Game Day routine, which replicates crowd-leading cheers teams might use in their own stadiums, the Panthers navigated a full day of competition. After near-flawless runs of both routines, the team earned high praise from NCHSAA judges.
“We’re sitting there with everybody in circles in the awards arena, and they’re calling every team out. As they’re going through the list, they start at the bottom and work their way up,” said Baker of learning the results from their Traditional division. “They’re calling those placements out, and they get to fourth place and they didn’t call Franklin High School. The girls looked at me with wide eyes, and I looked over at Coach Tammy [Keezer] and said, ‘Oh my gosh, we placed!’ That was a huge thing for us, especially being young and having to redo the routine so much.”
Having not been mentioned in the bottom five teams from their division, the Panthers knew they had earned at least third place. After weeks of uncertainty and frantic preparation, their efforts were validated in an instant.
“They called third place and it wasn’t us, and there was just so much excitement among them in their little group,” said Baker. “They’re all holding hands, their heads are down, and when they called their name in second place they just erupted. They were like the loudest team in the arena, jumping up and down and hollering – you would have thought they’d won the whole thing. They were so excited, because they achieved so many of their goals. They hit zero [deductions], they hit their new partner stunt sequences, they felt really good about their routines … it was just amazing to see the fruits of their labor.”
With zero deductions in either routine, the Panthers turned in a banner day, placing second in their Traditional division and fifth in their Game Day division. Upon returning home with a new silver trophy, the team began preparations for a busy few months ahead.
“We’re trying to prepare new material to perform at ball games to keep things interesting for the crowd, as well as continuing to increase difficulty in our stunts and routines so that we can get them scored better at the State Championship in January and Nationals in February,” said Baker. “We’re currently taking donations and fundraising because we’ve got to get there, and also with the heavier game schedule for basketball season having a couple games a week that we cheer at, it’s a little bit more. For example, we practiced yesterday afternoon and got material ready for today’s game, and we started working on more skills that would be worth more points to put into our routine.”
Panther cheer and dance is currently raising funds for their trip to the UCA National Championships in Orlando early next year. To purchase a Haywood Smokehouse Gift Certificate or T-shirt sponsorship, contact any cheer athlete or coach. To donate, make checks payable to FHS Cheer and Dance, 100 Panther Drive, Franklin, NC, 28734.