CLMS Cheer turning into juggernaut

Canyon Lake Middle School’s Competition Cheer team triumphed again at the USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim Sunday, marking its fifth victory as USA Spirit National Champions. The event, recognized as the West Coast’s most prestigious national competition for school cheer, featured over 50 teams in the Junior Nationals segment.

The team, with almost half its members residing in Canyon Lake, underwent an intensive preparation period, beginning its competition season in September and qualifying for Nationals through three USA Regional competitions in Show Cheer, Game Day, Novice Stunt, and Advanced Stunt categories.

“We have 30 girls on the competition team this year and half were new to competition cheer,” Cheer Coach Tammy Howard said. “We had weekly practices through fall and then we added more practices when December came around, sometimes practicing every day of the week and over Christmas break.”

The rigorous schedule and the challenge of integrating new members didn’t cause pause for a cheer team that continues to dominate the Junior Nationals competition cheer world.

Victorious members of the Canyon Lake Middle School Competition Cheer Team celebrate after the USA Nationals in Anaheim on Sunday. About half the team are girls who live in Canyon Lake.

The culmination of their efforts at the USA Nationals was the highlight of the team’s season. The weekend’s activities included team bonding, performances, and a talent show, all leading up to an early start on Sunday for the competitions.

“Our captains wrote sweet notes to each cheerleader, and we spent time delivering them to their hotel rooms the night before competing,” Tammy said. “The team spent the night at the hotel and were up at 4:00 a.m. Sunday to get ready to compete. We had six performances in four divisions between 8:00 a.m. and noon. We were exhausted, but very excited.”

In addition to winning the Show Cheer Division with a remarkable score of 98.1, the team also achieved first and second places in Advanced Stunt, first and third places in Novice Stunt, and a close second in Game Day. Their outstanding performance earned them the Grand Champion title for the fourth consecutive year, with the highest scoring routine among the participating 51 teams.

The competition team consists of a substantial number of Canyon Lake girls, including Railey Berry, Reese Marcuse, Courtney Medina, Mikaela Kivrizis, Summer Bristow, Ari Buffington, Bella Diamond, Irelynn Perry, Sadie Sakamoto, Linda Solis, Madison Thompson, Kileigh Wilcox and Kyleigh Peter.

Additional team members are Emma Fisher, Kailey Martinez, Kali Stoltz, Maliyah Myers, Julia Flynn,  Jayla Douglas, Natalie Gonzales,  Sophia Lares, Gianna Almaraz, Lilie Ayala, Mikaela Burkes, Audrey Ferguson, Ella Golovich, Isabella Rodriguez and Malia Shannon.

The team is coached by Tammy and Kendall Howard.

“Our wonderful parents went out of their way to make Nationals special for the team,” Tammy said. “They showered them with gifts and treats and the girls loved it. We had a great parent support group this season and support from our wonderful principal, Gilbert Rodriguez and also district trustee, Jennette Vanderpool.”