Flips, throws, cheering and an extreme magnitude of positivity flooded Battle Ground High School last weekend.
Battle Ground High School once again played host to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s (WIAA) State Cheer Championships over the weekend with over 130 performances between Friday, Feb. 6, and Saturday, Feb. 7.
As the event brings together over a hundred teams from around the state, the local hospitality sector receives a major boost, with some estimates measuring six to seven figures in revenue for the weekend generated around the area.
Cheer squads from Forks to Spokane, the Tri-Cities to Bellingham, Moses Lake to the team that performs in the Battle Ground High School gym on a weekly basis and everywhere in between took to the mat for the two day event. The high school cheer teams also were treated to exhibition performances by multiple colleges, including Washington State University, Eastern Washington University and others.
La Center competes in state cheer championships for first time ever
The La Center High School cheer squad sported Wildcat pride at the State Cheer Championships for the first time in school history, just miles away from home at Battle Ground High School.
The Wildcats tumbled their way into fourth place with a stellar performance in the 1A/2A Tumbling Coed category in which La Center was the only 1A team to even qualify.
“It’s amazing to be the only 1A school to make it in any tumbling division,” head coach Eric Goesch said after the performance. “It speaks to how much they work. Their work ethic is amazing. I’m lucky to be able to coach them, to pass that on to the next generation.”
With this being the first time stepping on to the cheer mat at the biggest stage in Washington high school cheer competitions, it sets a new standard for years to come.
“I think La Center is going to surprise a lot of people,” Goesch said. “You know, where football always goes to the playoffs, now we’re here for cheer.”
Since the Wildcats only had to travel within county lines, a lot of La Center faithful dotted the crowd for their performance. Goesch was incredibly grateful for the support at the state finals, as well as the entire year.
“Thank you for the support,” Goesch said for the community. “There’s more people here than I thought were going to be here. And, we’re going to keep showing up. We’re going to be here every year.”
Battle Ground cheer team shines on home mat at state championships
Battle Ground High School’s cheer team competed Saturday, Feb. 7, at the State Cheer Championships hosted on their home turf, giving the Tigers a rare chance to perform in front of a home crowd at the season’s biggest meet.
The Tigers finished seventh in both 4A Tumbling Small and 4A Game Day Medium at the state championships last week. It was the team’s second year in a row competing at the state level.
“I thought they were outstanding. They’ve been working so hard all year for this, and I think they showed everything that they wanted to add on that mat,” head coach Megan Torneby said.
Competing at home added another layer of meaning for the team, which often travels north to compete at the state level.
“It’s amazing. It’s fun being here and having all of our community support us. It’s fun seeing all the businesses that put out stuff about us and seeing the community support,” Torneby said.
This year’s state competition did not mark the end of the Tigers’ season as Battle Ground qualified for nationals and will compete in Anaheim, California, later in February. Torneby, who has coached her team for three years, highlighted the efforts of assistant coaches Brittany Johnson and Christina Hart.
“Johnson has taken teams before to nationals and has helped me learn the process because I’m so new at it, and it’s been great,” Torneby added.
With nine seniors on a 15-athlete roster, the weekend carried extra weight as many team members performed for the final time on their home floor.
“They’ve been so proud to compete for the last time this weekend on their own home turf, and it’s been emotional for sure,” Torneby said.
The team will also move quickly into its next cycle, with tryouts scheduled for April.
Ridgefield’s cheer team delivers at state championships
Ridgefield High School’s cheer team competed Saturday, Feb. 7 at the State Cheer Championships at Battle Ground High School, showcasing growth and confidence at the end of the season.
The Spudders placed fifth in 2A Game Day Coed in the state championships, delivering what head coach Hailey Eggleston described as their strongest performance of the year.
“I think our team did really well. We peaked at the right moment, so this is definitely by far our best performance of the season,” Eggleston said.
Ridgefield has now competed at the state level for three years, but this season’s roster was notably young, with no seniors and several athletes making their first appearance at state.
The season also marked Eggleston’s first year as head coach after previously serving as an assistant, a transition she said was made easier by familiarity with the athletes.
“They’ve been really receptive because a lot of them I coached on JV, so it was a good transition going up to varsity and being able to watch them grow and then grow myself,” she said.
Eggleston highlighted team captain Ella Bomar for her leadership throughout the season.
“She has led the team flawlessly this year and has been just a natural leader. The team really looks up to her,” Eggleston said.
As the competition wrapped up, Eggleston said the team delivered everything it had when it mattered most.
“I think we just left everything else on the mat and we did the best we could today,” she said.
Following the state championships, Ridgefield will continue cheering through the remainder of the basketball season's playoffs before turning its attention to the future. The program is set to begin tryouts in early April as preparations start for the next competitive season.
