CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville High School Cheerleading team traveled to Orlando, Florida, this weekend and competed at the National High School Cheerleading Competition. The event was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney.
The cheerleading squad was able to secure their bid after an extensive process that included attending or hosting a UCA home camp, getting credentials in safety and UCA processes and placing in regional and state competitions.
| Participants | Year |
|---|---|
| Hayli Walsh | Senior |
| Elleigh-Kate Phillips | Senior |
| Lily Poor | Senior |
| Emma Barnes | Junior |
| Marie Brock | Junior |
| Anna Grace Parker | Junior |
| Haven Roy | Junior |
| Audry Phillips | Junior |
| Madalynne Brunner | Sophomore |
| Blair Butcher | Sophomore |
| Kinsley Savage | Sophomore |
| McKenna Carbin | Sophomore |
| Julie Alford | Sophomore |
| Kylie Pittman | Sophomore |
| Chloe Blevins | Sophomore |
| Kennedy Ockey-Lang | Freshman |
After placing 7th in their regional competition in Memphis and 7th in the statewide competition, the Lady Wildcats finally punched their ticket to Orlando for their first ever appearance at the National High School Cheerleading Competition.
The 16-member team was one of 29 teams in their division going into the cheerleading event. The Wildcats performed on Friday during prelims and secured a spot into Saturday’s Semi-finals. They went on to advance into the finals with their day two performance. After the finals, the Wildcats came away with a zero-deduction performance and placed eighth in the nation.
Clarksville High’s cheerleaders were led by coaches Kimberly Thurman and Kaitlyn Kinslow.
Coaches corner
“I’m extremely proud of the hard work and dedication that these 16 girls have put into this team and this program,” said Thurman. “Not only were they preparing to do this for themselves, and that’s what’s high school competitive cheerleading is all about, getting that individual recognition with us being a support sport.
“But they also supported various different sports such as Clarksville High’s football team and their basketball teams. We got off the plane yesterday and we’re picking right back up where we left off with cheering on our basketball teams. In the meantime, our cheerleaders have also held a 3.7 GPA as a team,” said Thurman.
“So, not only are they excelling in their own arena, but they are supporting Clarksville High School and are wonderful student-athletes, as far as keeping their grades up and making CHS and our coaching staff proud.”
Correction: Clarksville High competed several times at NHSCC in the 1980s, according to other sources.