On Aug. 8, three Starr’s Mill varsity cheerleaders competed in the Cheerleader of the Year competition at Columbus State University.

Seniors Emily Herrmann, Sydney Mayson and Olivia Phillips were selected to attend the event by their coach Mandy Ratliff. She chose them because they participate in other extracurricular activities and have outstanding grades.

“All three girls are very deserving, and I knew they would have a good shot at placing,” Ratliff said.

Cheerleader of the Year is a competition looking for seniors who are exemplary cheerleaders with good grades. Nearly 200 cheerleaders competed in the competition. The winner received a banner of congratulation, a medal, a $1,000 scholarship and the title of Cheerleader of the Year for the 2015-16 school year.

Herrmann, Mayson, and Phillips have been cheering for 10 years, but even with countless hours of practice, these Panthers had to train in preparation for the competition.

“We had to work very hard every single day after competition practice,” Mayson said.

The girls worked together to make their individual routines the best they could be. “We picked out music and choreographed a routine that would be good enough for the competition,” Herrmann said.

A few weeks before the competition, a set of judges interviewed Herrmann, Mayson and Phillips who were looking for the traits of a good cheerleader, including grades, attitude and personality.

At the competition, the Panthers warmed up to perform their individual routines. After their performances, they sat anxiously watching the other cheerleaders perform and waiting for awards. In the end, the girls placed in the top 40 and will now perform on the state team later this fall.

“I loved being able to have the opportunity to compete and place,” Phillips said.
This season, Herrmann, Mayson and Phillips, along with the rest of the varsity cheerleading team, look forward to competing at regions and fighting to defend their state champion title.