by Ava T.

Alamo Heights Junior School Cheer recently competed in the National Championships in Dallas. The Gameday Medium team secured a close second-place finish with a score of 90.3833. The competition spanned two days: NCA Day One and NCA Day Two. Starting in second place, the team improved their score on Day Two, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the other team.

Anabelle Poynter, an 8th-grade veteran, shared her experience, saying, “We all got to stay in this amazing hotel in Dallas, practice in the lobby, eat nice dinners, and it was so fun to be at nationals and see all the other teams and get all excited.” This was Anabelle’s first and last time attending NCA, and she cherished the entire experience.

Being at nationals is both an honor and a privilege. Anabelle describes a typical day at the competition: “We do our full-out routine, which includes our band dance, sideline cheer, and fight song. Then we check in, go to warm-ups, and prepare ourselves for what’s next. After warming up for about 20 minutes, we all gather around, hold hands, and put all our equipment in the middle to say a prayer.” Every cheerleader strives to do their best and push themselves to the limit.

Day Two at nationals is the most stressful day. As Anabelle explains, “We already knew that we were in the running for first place, and we were so stressed out because it was so important not to mess up. We were fighting for our lives. We were all super happy because being less than 0.5 of a point behind first place meant we had a good chance of winning.” When the awards ceremony began, Anabelle recalls the tension: “They called out all the places until they said there was a tie between 3rd and 4th place, and our hearts dropped. They called out the two teams, and we were relieved to know we were either first or second. When they announced second place, we saw the other team celebrating, and our hearts sank. But when they called our team for second place, we knew we had done our best for the team.”

Placing second can be bittersweet, knowing how close you were to first place. Still, the team recognized that being in second place was a huge accomplishment, having beaten 14 other teams at the competition. Despite the heartbreak, the season ended on a positive note, and the team is already looking forward to next year’s competition. There’s always another chance in the new cheer season.