Cheerleaders ready to
compete for first title

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By Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com

Hawaii's high school cheerleaders will make the leap from the sidelines to the spotlight today as they compete for a state championship for the first time.

Eighteen squads are scheduled to participate in the inaugural Local Motion Cheerleading Championships set for 4 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Although taking home a trophy is the ultimate goal of the teams entered in the event, having the championship to compete for represents a breakthrough for the sport locally.

"It's long awaited recognition," Moanalua coach Sherrie Faildo said. "(The Menehunes) are excited to go, and I think everyone is just as excited because it's now recognized as an official sport."

Thirteen teams will compete in the medium squad (11 members or fewer) category. The other five are entered in the large (12-18 members) category.

Each team will perform a 2 1/2 minute routine incorporating dance, gymnastic and cheer elements. Up to 90 seconds of the routine can be performed to music, and a minimum of 25 seconds must be devoted to cheering.

"There's a lot more pride on the line," Kamehameha coach Dolly Wong said. "Now that it's called a state championship, it's much more intense in the preparation. I think all the squads who made it to states are feeling it.

"In cheerleading it's all about perfection," she added. "In 2 1/2 minutes you work to deliver a perfect routine. It's high intensity."

Members of the University of Hawaii cheerleading program will coordinate the event along with the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. The UH program ran the Spirit Challenge, the precursor to the state championship, the past four years.

Kamehameha will have the distinction of being the first squad to perform at a state championship event. The Warriors captured the Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship last week and finished third in its division at the recent National High School Cheerleading Championships.

Kamehameha competed against 57 teams in the Small Varsity division at the national championships held Feb. 8-11 at Walt Disney World in Florida.

"The best test for a squad is to try to perform perfection in that kind of a setting, where nobody knows you," Wong said. "To be able to perform under that kind of pressure, that's really good training."

Like most teams, Kamehameha began preparing for the season last summer and split time between cheering for their school's teams and training for competition. Wong said the Kamehameha team practices four times a week through the fall, but the workouts can increase to seven days a week as competitions approach.

"Cheerleaders work really hard and I like to see the athletes are getting recognition for what they do and that they do have a place in athletics," she said.

Moanalua, which has endured several coaching changes in the last two years, won the Oahu Interscholastic Association championship on Monday at the SSC and hopes to carry that momentum into the state competition.

"We want to have a lot of fun like we did on Monday," Faildo said. "I'm trying to get them mentally, physically and emotionally ready so when they do step on the mat they can just go out there and have fun. That's exactly what they did Monday and it helped their performance.

"The girls are just trying to maintain consistency in their routine. ... That means staying focused, relax, take one thing at a time and just remember you got into the sport because you love it."

Local Motion State Cheerleading Championships

Teams listed in order of performance

Medium category -- Kamehameha (ILH), Waianae (OIA), Mililani (OIA), Campbell (OIA), Moanalua (OIA), Kaimuki (OIA), Punahou (ILH), Kaiser (OIA), Radford (OIA), Pearl City (OIA), Waimea (KIF), Maui (MIL), Baldwin (MIL).

Large category -- Kailua (OIA), Aiea (OIA), Kealakehe (BIIF), Hilo (BIIF), Waiakea (BIIF).

Hawaii School Web Sites