Highland High School competition squad to compete at OASSA state competition

GRANGER TWP. — The newly formed Highland High School competition squad will be cheerleading at the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators state competition this weekend. Laura Keeling is the coach of the competition squad, which is in its first year. She said Highland's cheerleaders began stunting last year, which is when team members lift and throw each other into the air, so the competition squad felt like a natural evolution. "We have this amazing group of talented, dedicated athletes that were hungry to improve," she said. "They wanted more than just regular sideline cheer. As a coach, I felt it was time to take that next step to challenge them, to be at a higher level, and the competition squad seemed to be exactly what would do that for them." Highland's team participates in "Game Day Building," which is a mix of all-star cheer and traditional sideline cheer featuring elements like a crowd-led cheer, a band chant, stunting and tumbling, Keeling said. "A big part of Game Day is how your crowd reacts to you," she said. "On the score sheet, there's actually a category of how your fans are. Our fans, every time, give us a 10, which helps us tremendously in this category." The team comprises 27 members who are a mix of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, Keeling said. "They not only work together, but they're friends," she said. "They support each other. When somebody can't do something, they encourage each other. They don't blame each other. They are one team, one goal." The competition squad went to Jackson High School on Feb. 1 for the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators Northeast Regional Qualifier. Keeling said that is when Highland received its bid to compete against the best of the best at the state competition, which will take place on Sunday at Big Walnut High School in Sunbury. "We would love as many fans in the seats as we could to cheer these girls on," she said. "They thrive on that, and it pushes them. As excited as they are, that crowd cheering for them just pushes them to do it even harder and better." Keeling expressed her gratitude to Highland's administration for supporting the idea of the competition squad and giving the athletes another level of opportunity to showcase their skills and talents. "We're so used to cheering for everybody else, and now people are cheering for us," she said. "It's brought this team so much closer together. It's challenged them as far as skills. They've learned new ways to trust each other and believe in themselves and actually get rewarded for what they're doing." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.