With hearts racing, the Parkway West Varsity cheer team stepped onto the mat at the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association (MCCA) State Championship on Nov. 1 at the Mizzou Hearnes Center in Columbia, Missouri. The performance was the result of months of hard work, long practices and dedication.

Preparing for the competition

Leading up to competition season, the team held difficult practices. Preparation began in the summer, and the team was filled with energy and the hope of succeeding. Varsity captain and senior Shea O’Connell is the main base for the team.

“It was incredibly stressful. Our practices would be up to three hours a day for three days a week, plus games. [It was] a lot with school and trying to find a balance between working, school, homework and cheer practice,” O’Connell said.

The team held each other accountable throughout the packed practice schedule. Varsity cheerleader and junior Alyssa Gessner encouraged teammates to continually give their all. 

“All of us put in one hundred percent all [of] the time. If we [felt like] one person [was] slacking, we [tried] to bring everyone back to their one hundred percent,” Gessner said.

Season-ending injuries prevented optimal preparation for the state-qualifying tournament. The team had over 30 people supporting their road to the state competition. 

“There [were] a lot of people that [participated in] this whole experience. [We] had the varsity cheer team plus six girls who came up from JV as our alternates, and they were just there in case someone got injured [or] was sick at a practice. We [also] had our coaching staff: our head coach, two assistant coaches, and then the JV coach [who helped] when JV alternates were there,” O’Connell said.

Regional competition

The MCCA regional competition took place on Oct. 4 at Lafayette High School and determined if the cheerleaders would qualify for a state-wide competition.

For the cheerleaders stepping into the competition for the first time, many felt intimidated because of the large audience. During their performance, the base cheerleaders helped form a pyramid, with the teammates in the middle completing an extension in the air. As a result, the team was given a five-point reduction, even though they were unaware that the move was illegal.

After the performance was completed, each team gathered to listen to their placements.  A wave of shock hit the team when they realized they had ranked for one of the top five spots. When Parkway West was announced, members of the cheer team showed great excitement, screaming and crying out of joy. Not only had they placed fifth out of several schools, but they also qualified to attend the state-wide competition for the first time in nearly a decade.

“As an underclassman on varsity, I felt so accomplished,”  varsity cheerleader and sophomore Daniella Pacheco said. “Varsity cheer has been working so hard, and I can’t wait to go to state with my girls, my biggest role models.”

After the regional competition, cheerleaders walked through the school halls amid clapping peers and a band performance on Oct. 30 to be recognized for their qualification. 

“We’ve never competed before, so to get to walk with my team in front [the school] was such a cool experience,” O’Connell said. “It was nice [to be] the person that got to be cheered for instead of doing the cheering.”

State competition

The state competition took place on Nov. 1 in Columbia, Missouri, at the Mizzou Hearnes Center. The cheerleaders did not know what to expect as they stood in anticipation in front of the doors that led to the arena. 

Advancing through three holding rooms where they warmed up for five minutes each, the cheerleaders experienced an escalation of pressure. One by one, as each cheerleading team ahead of them performed, tension rose. 

And, finally, after waiting rooms and warm-ups, the wait was over to perform their three-minute routine.

“The scene that best represented [the] state [competition] as a whole was standing in the tunnel with my team right before we went out, because we were all so amped up on adrenaline. None of us had done this competition before, so it was a lot of going in there blind, because we didn’t know how the judges were going to score us. We didn’t know how things were going to hit. It was just a whole lot of anticipation and nerves the five minutes before we actually went out,” O’Connell said. “The team really bonded in that moment, because we put in all this work for the past three months, and it all came down to this point in time. It was definitely overwhelming for a first-time competition, but it was a scene that I wouldn’t trade for the world.”

The team’s performance was a reenactment of the regional one, with a few minor edits. This performance, which they perfected and performed countless times, resulted in an overall state finish of seventh place.

“[Handling] everything that was going on at home, school, work and cheer was a lot, but I think it really helped me to learn to balance everything out and [realize] that yes, this may be a stressful time right now, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” O’Connell said. “I’m really proud of my team, and I’m so thankful for everyone who put the work and time into it.”

After months and months of preparation, Pacheco could finally celebrate the result with her team.

“I realized that hard work, dedication and showing up really does pay off in the end,” Pacheco said. ”The team and my stunt group worked so hard for this, and I am so grateful for all of [them].”