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Parkersburg High School cheerleaders head to state tournament

Members of the Parkersburg High School squad going to the West Virginia High School Cheerleading Tournament are, front row, from left, Autumn Corne, Kailynn Taylor, Bethany Lanham, Kaitlyn Rexroad, Maddy Anderson, Alexis Wheeler, Syndey Zecca and Katie Price. Middle row, from left, Devin Lucas, Erin Sarver and Selena Lemon. Back row, from left, Hallee Hairl, Kaylie Walker, Makayla Harmon, Julia Somerville, Samantha Williams, Emma Padden and Livi Matlack. (Photo by Jeff Baughan)

PARKERSBURG – The Parkersburg High School cheerleaders went through their dance routine in the solitude of the Jack Stephens Gymnasium, practicing not only for the next game where they were to cheer, but for Saturday’s appearance at the West Virginia State Cheerleading Tournament.

Saturday is the first performance by the Big Reds in the tourney since 2007.

The Big Reds open the Class AAA tournament competition, in fact all competition, as the squad is the first team to perform.

“So if you arrive at 10:05 (a.m.), you’ll have missed us,” said coach Amy Burns, who was a member of the 2005 and 2006  teams, which made the state tournament. It was part of a three-year appearance run by the Big Reds.

The competition is broken down into two categories, dance performance and cheer. The Big Reds’ dance performance runs 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The cheer portion of the performance lasts 40 seconds. A total of 3 minutes, 10 seconds.

That’s why Burns says if you’re five minutes late to the start of the competition, you will miss the Big Reds.

Being the first to take the floor in the tournament won’t necessarily be a bad thing, according to Burns.

“We get to set the bar for the tournament,” she said. “We won’t have seen anyone else in front of us so there are no expectations we have to meet. Everyone has to beat our score to go in front of us.”

Meanwhile, assistant coach Robin DeMoss has worked the numbers and determined the team will have spent almost 180 hours preparing for those 3 minutes, 10 seconds. There are 18 girls on the team, but state tournament rules allow no more than 13 girls on the floor with two official alternates.

“It’s an all or nothing,” said Burns. “You either hit or you don’t. In football, you have quarters to catch up. In this, you have seconds compared to minutes and minutes compared to quarters. You just get one chance and that’s it. You don’t get another chance to catch up.”

The girls spend the dance performance running, jumping, tumbling, lifting, twisting, catching. All while trying not to drop or run into each other. The hair bands have to be tight. A flying hairband which is stepped on is a deduction in points.

There is no rest for the faint of cardio conditioning.

“They just go and go and they don’t stop,” Burns said. “It’s individual mixed with team. It’s a big puzzle seeing who fits where. Who flies, who tumbles, who bases, who catches. Everyone has their moment to shine and it literally is, just moments.”

So hours of work will come down to minutes and seconds on Saturday.

“The girls are excited and dedicated,” Burns said. “They all want the same goal and that is why I think they were able to advance past the regional.”

The other Class AAA teams participating include, in order of performance, Wheeling Park, Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, Spring Valley, Musselman, Brooke and Riverside. Parkersburg is the only local team participating in any of the three classes.

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