From the sidelines at football games to the center stage at their own competitions, West High Cheer always delivers, but they have just reached a new level of prestige.

At the Jamz National Cheer Competition in Las Vegas last weekend, West High Cheer placed first. In order to qualify, the team participated in a preliminary competition and made the scores necessary to move on to the final competition in Las Vegas. Even though they had already participated in four competitions this year, Jamz National was the highest in caliber. West High Cheer competed in Division 3.1 Co-ed Varsity, a level higher than the level they competed in last year.

Cheerleader Sophie Baghdoyan (12) said, “We had our routine down pretty well. Knowing the routine wasn’t the issue. The issue was just going out there and performing it. We had to work together, stay confident, and stay positive.”

At the competition, the cheer team watched other performances, spent time with their friends and family, and received various prizes like medals and jackets. But for some, the biggest prize was gaining recognition for all their hard work.

Karly Breceda (12) said, “The highlight of the competition was when they yelled, ‘West High School is your national champion.’ This was an amazing moment…we all ran up to the giant stage, and took a picture with our trophy.”

However, it was not all fun and games for West High Cheer. In order to earn a ranking on the national level, the team had to practice extensively. They practiced each day except for Mondays and Fridays. Nearing the competition, they practiced daily.

“A contributing factor to our success was the amount of practice we had…we worked hard at mastering the stunts we were given…our dedication to the sport and all of the extra time we put into this team helped us out a lot,” said Breceda.

This competition was especially sad for the seniors, since it was their last one in high school and for some, in their entire cheer career. “It’s a good way to end my years in cheer. I don’t think I’m going to do cheer in college, but I’ll probably do something related because I still want to stay active,” said Baghdoyan. Though she enjoys competing, Baghdoyan’s favorite aspect of cheerleading is supporting the school at rallies and games.

Daphne Yang (11) praises their high energy at rallies, commenting, “They get people pumped up and excited for the games and activities that we have.”

At rallies, games, and competitions, the West High Cheer mantra stays the same; it’s all about teamwork and providing support for each other. “We stay motivated to work hard by being there for each other all of the time, and not letting anything bring someone down. We always encourage one another to do better and strive to be the best we can be.”

  By boosting each other up, both literally and figuratively, West High Cheer has had a year of successful wins and spirited performances.