THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Armstrong Township High School Cheerleaders (photo provided)
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DANVILLE — Two-and-a-half minutes might not seem like a lot of time to win over a crowd and judges, but the participants at Saturday’s Vermilion County Cheerleading Competition are not short on energy to get the job done.
The competition runs alongside girls’ and boys’ basketball tournaments at Danville Area Community College’s Mary Miller Gym, fresh off hosting the Vermilion Valley Conference Wrestling Meet last week for the first time.
Alison Bartlow, second-year head coach of Armstrong Township High School’s cheerleaders, said the competition is a “wild” time.
She and her two assistant coaches, Came Howie and Brooklyn Morgan, are leading a team of 10 girls, freshmen through seniors, whose routine combines two 1-minute full cheers and one 30-second cheer.
Bartlow said this year, she looked for cheers that they’ve not taken to the competition for a while.
“It’s kind of fresher,” she said.
While some high schools have basketball and football cheerleading teams in addition to competitive and game-day cheerleaders, “we are a smaller school (and) have way fewer who cheer,” Bartlow said, but they put forth a great effort.
She said the competition is full of “great energy.”
“All the schools come cheer their teams on, supporting everyone,” she said. “We all support each other.”
Bartlow said the competition has a lot of history with the basketball tournament, which has been going on for more than 80 years.
DACC cheerleading coach Sharda Pascal said she was told the cheerleading competition has been going on since the 1970s. She said it’s exciting for DACC to play host.
She said this year’s competition will run from 10 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m. Saturday and will feature teams from Armstrong Township, Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin, Georgetown, Hoopeston, Oakwood (last year’s champions), Salt Fork and Westville. Doors open at 9 a.m.
Pascal has been head cheerleading coach at DACC since 2022. Before that, she spent about six years as a coach for Danville High’s cheerleaders and some time in Texas. DACC has 12 competitive cheerleaders and seven game-day cheerleaders, and will perform at the competition.
Pascal said the county has its own setup, with a competition that’s “very traditional, but aligned with new perks.”
There are five Illinois High School Association judges and two tabulation judges, she said. The teams show up early for preparations and warm-ups. The bleachers also fill up fast with spectators.
“There’s not a single seat that’s left,” Pascal said. “It’s packed.”
Tickets for the competition can be bought ahead of time or at the door.
“It’s so exciting, and it’s also something my team is excited for,” Pascal said. “It’s great for recruiting for me as well.”
Bartlow added it’s great to have the competition at DACC, and just like the basketball tournament, the cheerleading competition is a way for county athletes to show their talents.
She said it’s nice to “get together and bring the county together.”
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