S. C. Lee Junior High Cheerleaders capture state championship; head to national contest

By ANN MINGA
Special to Leader-Press 

DALLAS — Defense! Defense! The chant and the music began as the S.C. Lee Junior High Cheerleaders bounded on to the floor at the National Cheer Association State Championships at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas with the hopes of advancing to the national contest. In perfect synchronization, the squad performed for three and a half minutes to include a cheer, chant, and dance performance, capturing first place in the Junior High Game Day Small Division and a bid at the NCA National Championship January 22-23 in Dallas. 
Cheer captain and All-American Cheerleader Isabella Sequenzia said that the lights on the floor were so bright that the team couldn’t see anyone but the judges. 
“I was really pumped and excited before the competition. When we got backstage it was nerve wrecking,” Sequenzia said. “We said a team prayer together and that really helped to calm the team’s nerves. 
“After we got off the stage, we were all excited and so was Coach (Jade) Cooper because we knew we did well. We were hoping to be announced for first place and we were the last to be called. We were excited to be named the champions.”
Sequenzia said watching the teams perform before them, especially the high school teams, built their excitement and pushed them to perform at their best. 
“Watching the high school squads helped because we followed in their footsteps,” Sequenzia said. “Watching all the other teams preform before us helped us see the standard and reach for that. It was worth all the hard work. All the effort we put in really paid off. We came together as a team more than ever and I am really excited for nationals to see what other states bring to the table. We will definitely be paying attention to the high school teams and see how they practice because they are really inspiring.”
Teachers Deneshia Gray and Jade Cooper coach the award-winning squad. The pair are already strategizing for the national competition. 
“We will be making minor changes to our routine so it can flow better since we only have three minutes on the mat. We will be adding more props like signs and megaphones to encourage crowd involvement. We will also add tumbling skills to increase the difficulty level,” Cooper said. 
“We will need additional funding to go to Nationals since it will be a two-day event. So, we will also be working on that.”
Support for the S. C. Lee cheerleaders bid to the national contest may be made by emailing Cooper at cooperj@ccisd.com.
The Copperas Cove High School varsity and junior varsity squads also competed, placing eighth among the hundreds of schools participating. The CCHS squads are coached respectively by Chandler Diaz and Josephina Bailey.