Every January hundreds of cheer squads from around Texas meet in Ft Worth to compete at the Texas UIL Spirit State Championships. UIL describes this event as "not just a competition; but a showcase of talent, passion, and determination!"
Troup High School cheer decided to join in on the fun this year for the first time since the UIL started the championship competition in 2016. THS Cheer took a combined squad of junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders to compete with 48 other 3A Div II schools.
THS Cheer took the competition mat for the very first time on Thursday, January 4th, at 11:01 am, and performed a 3-minute game day style routine showcasing spirit skills in three categories: Band Chant, Crowd Leading, and Fight Song. Their combined score was good enough to qualify them for the final competition round later that same day. THS Cheer finished the Spirit State Championships in 16th place overall for 3A Div II!
Mandy Lovelady, Junior varsity cheer coach had this to say about the experience, “These cheerleaders have worked tirelessly for almost 3 months to prepare for this day, and we could not be more proud of the effort, stamina, determination, talent, and spirit these ladies have shown us! They have made not only us coaches but their school and community very proud of them. Qualifying for the Finals round in your first UIL Spirit competition is not an easy feat, only proving what kind of athletes these young ladies are. We are excited to make this trip to Ft. Worth an annual tradition for our program.”
THS State Finalist Cheer Squad: Seniors: Trisha Dunnahoe-Captain, Savannah Howard, Alyssa White; Juniors: Emory Cover, Bailey Gibson, Maddy Howell, Briar Kirkland, Reese Lovelady, Kylee Ross, Payton Wells; Sophomores: Kaylee Almazan, Addison Blanton, Audree Hinkle; Freshmen: Adalyne Burks, Bailey Darden, Wylie Green, Cassie Murry, Reese Nichols, Molleigh Nord, Lili Priest, Kylie Switzer; Senior Manager: Katie Peterson; Coaches: Robin Parrish, Mandy Lovelady, Angie Howard; Choreographer: Cameron Thomas
