BANGOR — With the state championships set for this weekend for Maine high school cheerleading, a handful of local squads enjoyed successful seasons while qualifying for the event.

Thornton Academy finished third at Class A regionals, while Sanford placed fifth in Class A and Wells was fourth in Class B to qualify for states.

As the season nears its conclusion, each of these teams have made progress while also catching the attention of their communities.

Thornton Academy

One of the first things that coach Kyle Whittington noticed about his TA squad was its determination.

“I have been coaching cheering for 16 years and just started with the TA program this year. The support and enthusiasm I have felt from the beginning made me even more determined to make this a successful season,” said Whittington. “I discussed with the athletes what it would take to progress to states this season and they listened. This win means that we have met our first challenge, but will continue to work hard, make changes where needed and continue to give it our all.”

Whittington saw a noticeable improvement as the weeks wore on and he feels that this progression is a product of hard work and dedication from his cheerleaders.

“The team gelled together nicely at the beginning of the season. They received their routine the weekend after Thanksgiving. Every practice they listen, work hard, continue to build their stamina, mastering their stunts and perfecting their performance,” said Whittington.

Not only are the athletes enthusiastic, but so is the TA community, which Whittington sees as a big motivating factor in the upcoming tournament.

“The continued support from the school and the community gives us the extra drive that helps a team be successful,” said Whittington. “When a team feels supported by their coach, parents, community and other athletes it really makes a difference.”

The Trojans’ game plan will be simple come Saturday.

“We plan to leave it all on the floor in Bangor on Feb. 6 and hopefully bring the first state title to Saco in a very long time,” said Whittington.

San for d

The Sanford squad had the state competition in their sights from day one this season. In order to qualify, they knew it would come down to their performance at the regional tournament.

With the successful qualification, coach Kendra O’Connell feels that this is a great accomplishment for her team.

“Finishing top six at the regional cheer competition meant everything for our team. Their goal right from the beginning of the season was to qualify for the state competition,” said O’Connell. “With a lot of really talented teams in Class A south we knew that we had to work extremely hard and push ourselves to get there.”

O’Connell has also been proud of her teams’ effort, especially considering their youth. The Sanford team features seven freshmen and seven sophomores.

“We have an extremely young team, but they are talented and extremely hard working,” said O’Connell. “I am very lucky to have a team who gives it their all and constantly pushes themselves each and every day.”

Although the team is happy to qualify, they feel there is room for improvement heading into the season finale.

“Moving forward we are working on really cleaning up our routine, we are looking to improve our score in a few different areas on the score sheet, so we are really working on those areas,” said O’Connell. “They are setting goals for where they would like to be at the state competition and looking forward to competing against the best of the best.”

Perhaps the most satisfying feeling for the Sanford team is putting cheerleading on the map for the community.

“To get this far has meant a ton for our team and our school. Our team is just so excited to show everyone that Sanford is a team to watch out for in the future when it comes to cheerleading,” said O’Connell.

Wells

As the state competition approaches, one thing that the Wells team has is confidence, especially with the win at the Western Maine Conference meet.

“Winning Western Maine Conference this year was a huge accomplishment for Wells,” said coach Sara Littlefield. “That win gave the team a self-confidence boost. They became more sure of what they were doing and it validated for them that the work they put in was worth it.”

One improvement that Littlefield has been pleased with throughout the course of the season is her team’s communication on the floor. Littlefield believes that this team work has not only helped the rhythm of her team, but has also helped its ability to overcome potential obstacles while performing.

“They’ve learned to trust one another and how to better communicate. They’re very vocal now while running their routine. You may not hear it over the music, but there is a lot of talking going on now and motivating one another,” said Littlefield. “Before, when something didn’t go as planned, they would be silent. They’ve really worked on letting each other know what they need and when something feels different, communicating what they need to fix it.”

Regardless of the outcome at the upcoming meet, the Warriors already feel like they have accomplished what they set out to heading into the season.

“They’re definitely prepared for the rest of the season. Qualifying for states is always the end goal. They’ve accomplished that. Everything going forward is just a bonus,” said Littlefield.

However, Littlefield and her team are still looking to go out strong at states.

“We’re competing against ourselves at this point, meaning it’s not about beating other teams,” said Littlefield. “We want to finish out our season with our personal best performance. All we ever want for them is to end feeling really, really good about everything they’ve done … no regrets.”

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.