Cheer coach Amber
Hollis poses with the COA national championship trophy
and banner and displays the cake made for the reception
held in honor of the win. Trey Scales Photo |
**For
Immediate Release**
OPSU
Cheer Team Brings Home Trophy
- released by OPSU Campus Communications
02-09-2007
by
Laura Hays
Goodwell,
Okla. - The Oklahoma Panhandle State University Cheer
Team brought home a national championship trophy this past
week from the Cheerleaders of America (COA) competition
in Las Vegas, Nev. Challenged by specialized stunt squads
from schools such as Townsend University and Concordia College,
OPSU’s hours of practice plus their unmatched energy
and flexibility paid off in the Thomas and Mack Center last
Sunday night.
Two
days before the competition, one of the team members, Ricky
Connor, slipped on ice after attending the Miss OPSU Pageant.
His finger was so severely broken that he was unable to
cheer. Never ones to quit, the team adjusted their routine
on top of the parking garage at Circus Circus to modify
it for one less male. In fact, the squad did not perform
the act to their mix of rock and roll music until they performed
in front of the judges!
Right
after their performance, some of the OPSU participants noticed
smoke coming from one of the speakers on stage. They told
one of the security guards backstage, and by then, the electrical
wires had started sparking. Rather than standing around
waiting to see what would happen, the team mates worked
together to unhook the speakers and Kyle Fesmire, one of
the OPSU sponsors, averted disaster by finding a fire extinguisher
and putting out the fire. The team once again proved their
adaptability and willingness to confront difficulty.
Tod
Price, one of the team members, said, “I have been
to four national championship competitions, and this one
by far was the most exhilarating. Winning was a dream come
true.”
Congratulations
to the members of the 2007 COA Division II Cheer Team members
including Coach Amber Hollis; Nick Nairn; Josh Setzer; Shannon
Smith; Shayla Koehn; Jessica Walton; Amanda Zink; Stephanie
Schoenrock; Alisha Janelli; Kate Sheperd; Nicole Dyson;
Ricky Connor; and Tod Price.
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