Savannah cheerleaders show school spirit after national win
A local cheer team is bringing national champion spirit back to its community after a recent competition.
The Savannah High School cheerleading team placed first in Coed Large Level 3, the highest level of competition at JAMZ nationals in Las Vegas in January. Since then, team members have been using that energy back at school to recruit new cheerleaders for the program.
"I think just bringing that positivity we had in Vegas and from winning back to homecoming this week was a good thing," said senior Izzy Arnold. "It shows that we're not just a skills team. We're also here not just for us but for the school."
At a pep rally on Friday, cheerleaders were accompanied by teachers of their choice for a fun dance competition. It was a way to get students from freshmen to seniors involved in winter homecoming festivities.
"All of our competitions are far away because cheer doesn't have anything close," said senior Madison Kendall. "The assembly was just a shout-out to let them know we're here."
While in Las Vegas, head coach Sarah Arnold said the team accomplished much, and the hard work they put in paid off, not only for them but for the future of the program.
"To be able to take a small school and be able to compete on the same level with some of the 5 and 6A state teams within the state of Missouri and then also nationally is pretty special," she said.
Arnold said the accomplishments were also due to the team absorbing every part of competing and immersing themselves into the atmosphere on and off the mat.
"We made sure to not just go and compete, but we went in at restaurants, we went to different shows and all kinds of things as a team just because we really believe that cheer is supposed to be fun," Arnold said.
Moving forward, senior Jaiden Myers said the biggest legacy members want to pass down to future Savannah cheerleaders is positivity. That means using opportunities like the pep rally to continue that school spirit and pride, she said.
"I just want a good overall cheer team and keep the positive vibes of how we've been, and hopefully they do good next year, and I'm sure they will.
