COURTESY KAMEHAMEHA
The ILH champion Kamehameha cheerleading squad won the national small varsity division title last month in Florida.
In cheerleading circles, it's the event everyone has been waiting for: the Local Motion State Competition at the Stan Sheriff Center today at 4 p.m. Favorites to
face off at statesBy Nick Abramo
nabramo@starbulletin.comAll eyes will be on the struggle for supremacy between Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Kamehameha and Oahu Interscholastic Association co-champion Radford.
Big Island champ Waiakea and Maui champ Baldwin are among the other top teams competing in the large-squad category (12 to 18 members).
Kamehameha is the favorite after winning a national small varsity division title at the Universal Cheerleading Association competition last month in Florida. A year ago at the inaugural state meet, the Warriors won the medium division (11 members or less).
"I've coached a lot of squads and this one stands out -- and I know this is going to sound corny -- because they really do get along," Warriors coach Dolly Wong said. "They're really good friends, they really enjoy being around each other, they know it's a lot more than individual skills, and all of that makes a big difference."
Senior Giselle Kim, one of Kamehameha's two captains, called the nationals "an eye-opening experience."
"It was unbelievable," she said. "All I could think of was that we won the nationals. We knew we could do our best, and of course, you always think that you might win, but you don't imagine that you really can win.
"When you're cranky at practice and sore and then win something that big, you realize, 'This is what I worked for.' "
Junior Summer Maunakea, the team's other captain, and senior co-captains Roelle Hoohuli and Kamaile Maldonado form the backbone of the Warriors' leadership, along with Kim.
Radford placed third at the AmeriCheer nationals in Florida a year ago, and they're headed to that competition again next week.
"We're confident," Rams coach Bo Frank said. "We've gone through four competitions and won all of them, and we've had two weeks since the OIAs to clean up our routine to be successful.
"Everybody's been talking about it -- Radford vs. Kamehameha."
The Rams are led by five seniors, including three who have been with the team for three years -- Mari Chu Gano, Charity Cawley and captain Kimberly Cass.
"I think we can do really good at the states," Radford sophomore returnee Jordan Riley said. "This team is pretty much dedicated, like a family. We're a lot better this year, we get along better. We've got more talent and we've worked harder to get to where we are."
Radford placed second in the medium division at the states last year.
"We've got more girls (16 compared to seven a year ago) so we can do more pyramids and more tumbling." Frank said. "We can do so much more."
He knows the Warriors will be tough to beat.
"Kamehameha is good," he added. "They're the total package. They're sharp and clean with strong tumbling and they stunt at a high level."
Wong said the Warriors focus on just that: being clean and sharp while executing well.
"We don't take anything for granted," she said. "We don't assume we have anything solid or perfected. We make sure fundamentals are a big part of every practice and we don't try to do too many tricks. The stunts we do, we try to make them look easy, but if you take apart what we do, you'll find it's more difficult than it looks."
Wong respects Radford's ability: "They're fabulous, they put a lot of energy into it and their routine is excellent."
She knows her girls aren't letting the national reputation get in the way of their goal of winning the state title.
"In many ways, this is bigger than the nationals," Wong said. "We've got family and friends here and the kids know it's important to do well in representing the school the best they can."
Kim agreed.
"It's a really, really big thing," she said. "We can't come back to our state and not win. In a way, it's a much bigger deal to show everyone we can do it and that there's a reason why we won the nationals."
Aiea, the large division champion last year, is competing in the medium division this time. Moanalua, the other OIA co-champion, is a top contender in the smaller division, which also includes Kauai Interscholastic Federation champion Kauai.
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