After completing two and a half months of practice, the Morgan
Hill Raiders cheerleaders and dancers attended their first
competition for the 2006 season.
Mountain View – After completing two and a half months of practice, the Morgan Hill Raiders cheerleaders and dancers attended their first competition for the 2006 season.
The day started early for the Raiders. The squads gathered at 6am at Britton Middle School to head for the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. Arriving in black, silver and white the five cheer squads and the dance team were excited and full of spirit.
Parents waited in anticipation to see what their girls have accomplished over the past few months.
The Morgan Hill Raiders Midget cheerleaders took first place in the small intermediate division. The small squad consists of 19 cheerleaders ages 13-15.
Some of the girls have been cheering for years and others are first-time cheerleaders. The squad, led by head coach Shelly Solorio, performed an unforgettable flawless routine.
The 19 cheerleaders performed a choreographed routine, which was created with the assistance of the cheerleaders. This team was the powerhouse of the day at Shoreline.
“This was the best routine I have ever seen come out of the Morgan Hill Raiders in all the years I have watched,” said Bill Zangara, boys athletic director of the Morgan Hill Raiders.
The Raiders Junior Midgets cheer squad, coached by Trish Charette, took second place in their division with a clean and sharp routine. The squad, consisting of 18 cheerleaders ages 10-13, perfected this routine only days before the competition. The routine consisted of choreographed dance, tumbling and stunting, which had Raider fans cheering.
Earlier in the day, the Junior Pee Wee squad, a team with many new players and girls who had moved up from the Mitey Mites division, was cheered on by a sea of silver and black in the stands. The squad competed against 14 others, which was the largest division of the day. The performance was a breath of fresh air as the girls performed to a choreographed routine coached by Sandra Neibla, who led this team to national competition in 2005.
The Junior Pee Wee’s were followed by the newest addition to the Raider family, Junior Pee Wee dance. The team competed against two other Peninsula Pop Warner dance teams.
The dance team, led by veteran Raider coach Kim Mireles, performed a creative routine, which members perfected only days before the competition.
Closing the morning session of the competition was the Pee Wee Cheer Squad, coached by Amy Uffhausen. The precise and clean routine had the crowd going. The squad performed an exciting routine which incorporated the use of pom poms and military push ups.
The afternoon session started with the Raiders’ Mitey Mite Squad. The Mitey Mites are ages 5-7 and coached by Kendel Place. The routine was choreographed by assistant coach April Etman. The Raider parents and cheerleaders got their first glimpse of the future of the Morgan Hill Raiders cheerleaders.
