On Nov. 1, cheerleaders from Essex and Rappahannock will compete in the upcoming Region A Cheer Competition to be held at King William High School beginning at 7 p.m.
This comes after the teams finished second and third in the district invitational on Oct. 23. Essex was crowned the Northern Neck District Champions, placing second behind the Tidewater District Champions, King William, who finished first with 268.5 points. Essex placed second with 196 points, Rappahannock trailed in third with 178 points followed by Middlesex with 174 points.
The competition was previously scheduled to be held at Colonial Beach High School, but according to sources, after a Tidewater District Team declined to participate in their respective championship it was thought best to merge both district competitions. In the weeks leading to the invitational, Colonial Beach declined to participate and defend the Northern Neck District title it earned last year.
Coming into the invitational, Essex was a four-time district champion. They won four consecutive years before being dethroned by Colonial Beach in 2009.
Rappahannock on the other hand returns following a two-year hiatus.
Representing the Northern Neck are head coaches Nicole Syster, of Essex, and Tiffany Rombold, of Rappahannock.
“My team stepped onto the mat as a team, performed as a team, and left as a team,” said Rombold. “I am extremely proud of them, and I know if they continue to work hard, we can take it to another level at Regionals.”
A total of eight teams are expected to be at the Region A competition. Only the top two finishers will advance to the state competition at Virginia Commonwealth University on Nov. 10.
The following cheerleaders were named to this year’s All-Northern Neck District Team: from Rappahannock-flyer Tiara Butler; bases Emily Gay, Maria Bradshaw, Georgia Walker, Emily Jewell and all-arounder Jenifer West; from Essex-flyers Viola Thompson and Kassidy Lewis; bases Emily Broache, Kaitlyn Newman and Laura Davis; and all-arounders Alexis Taylor and Kashaila Veney.
Cheerleading continues to grow
According to Rombold, two graduates of Rappahannock High School are now members of their respective university teams.
Recently, Hannah Ashley, graduate in 2012, has just made the Randolph Macon cheerleading team. She joins Jacque Maupin, fellow 2012 graduate, who is a member of selected to the Longwood University Cheerleading Team.
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