At the Central Florida Regionals on the Florida State Fairgrounds, the Wiregrass Ranch Cheerleading team advanced to the National Competition, continuing the team’s sustained success they have earned since the team was formed.

The team, led by Captain Alyssa Moore, went into the competition a little concerned with the preparedness of their routine having only begun doing “full-outs”, the rehearsal of their entire choreographed set from start to finish, a week earlier.

“It’s going fine,” assured Moore. “It’s just that we haven’t done them that often.”

Unlike football or basketball, not much of the student body is aware of the cheerleading team’s efforts in their respective competitions. Moore and fellow senior cheerer, Abbi Laferriere, did their best to explain what the atmosphere will be like to somebody attending their first.

“It’s gonna be loud,” warned Laferriere. “Energetic, fast-pased with team after team.”

The cheer team competes in the Super-Varsity division due to their size of twenty-four girls, and they compete with the four other high schools in that division. To advance to the National Competition, final rank in comparison to other schools is irreverent. What really matters is the score that the judges give the girls routine. With a score of seventy or above the team will advance, something the cheer team has accomplished for the previous two years.

“We’ve done pretty well and we expect to qualify for National this year” Says Moore. “Third in states, and last year we got seventh in the nation.”

Moore’s prediction was received with conformation, as the team gained the necessary approval from their judges and thus racked up the needed points to advance their season. Now, the team will look to outdo last year’s success with even higher advancements in the State and National competitions.