After a year off, Franklin’s cheerleading team is back to competing.
“We are competing this year because we have a team of athletes who want to work hard, progress and be competitive,” coach Lynn Baker said. “They are hungry to prove themselves and look forward to the challenges that preparing for competitions gives them.”
The Panthers competed at the Mountain Regional, a pre-state tournament, held Oct. 26. They finished second out of six schools in their division.
Also competing in the large varsity non-tumble division were A.C. Reynolds, South Rowan, Erwin, Enka and North Henderson.
The Panthers scored 67 points with no deductions.
“We competed in a tough division with teams who were highly skilled and advanced in their abilities,” Baker said.
Franklin’s routine had a girl power/women empowerment theme. The first minute featured a crowd leading cheer, followed by 90 seconds of music and movements.
In addition to taking second, the Panthers earned the Best in Spirit award for the overall competition.
What makes the achievements even more impressive is the youth and inexperience of Franklin’s squad. The roster features 11 freshmen, three sophomores, two juniors (the only two returning members of the last year’s team, who last competed at the JV level as freshmen) and one senior.
“So that means all but two were completely new to competing and the entire team was new to competing on a varsity level,” Baker said. “Huge deal!”
The next competition will be the NCHSAA Cheer Invitational. It’s slated for Dec. 7 in Raleigh.
Baker said she and assistant coach Bonnie Peggs couldn’t be more proud of the team.
“They have worked hard to promote school spirit, cheered at volleyball games, football games, band competitions, completed community service and much more,” Baker said. “They have worked on developing their skills and continue to work hard. We look forward to seeing them continue to progress and hopefully increase their difficulty and execution scores at our upcoming competitions.”
Aloha
Three FHS cheerleaders have the opportunity to travel to Hawaii to attend the 19th Annual CheerHawaii USA Summer Invitational.
Katy Nettles, Madison Phillips and Belle Reale were chosen and have the chance to attend the camp in June.
“This ‘invitational’ cheer camp is the only one of its kind,” Baker said. “Our athletes were nominated and chosen based on their leadership skills, work ethic, overall attitudes and skills/abilities.”
Junior Kaitlyn Henry attended the 2019 camp.