Bob Jones competition cheer team in their pyramid (Record Photo/ Lindsay Vaught)

MADISON- Today is championship Saturday for competition cheerleaders across Alabama.

The AHSAA State Cheer Competition is at Wallace State Community College. Both Bob Jones and James Clemens will compete. Bob Jones is the Class 7A defending state champion but the competition keeps getting tougher says cheer sponsor Zoe Williams.

“The 7A division is growing and this will be very good competition. It means a lot to these girls. This is the only time we compete against most of these schools like James Clemens. The way UCA is set up we don’t face them at nationals. At state we compete against all 7A schools regardless of the number they have on the mat.”

To repeat as champions Bob Jones will go head to head with teams from Hoover, Spain Park, Smiths Station, Vestavia, James Clemens, Enterprise, and others.

Both Bob Jones squads had to improvise. Varsity middle flyer, Abbi Sacco, will miss the competition and Savannah Buchanan moved up from JV to take her place. Christi Neil moved into Buchanan’s place on the JV.

“They both have stepped up and done a great job,” Williams said. “They have all worked really hard since regionals to get these routines back together since Abbi has been sick. The JV’s look really good, they had to rework their routine with a new person flying.”

The squads practice an hour at school every day plus two hour practices at Ace once a week. Dan Harrod is the cheer coach. They also cheered at all 12 Bob Jones football games, enduring two that were played in the rain.

The state cheer competition is in its 19^th year of being recognized as a sanctioned sport. Last year 99 teams competed with approximately 1,500 cheerleaders.

They are judged on voice commands, ability and energy to lead the crowd, performance technique synchronization and spacing, level of difficulty, transitions, and tumbling. Even the jumps must have proper form, height, and synchronized. Finally they are judged on creativity of the routine.

Williams said the girls don’t get much time to visit with other school cheerleaders but “they get to see other teams and see what competition is out there. The big thing is competition cheer is growing and getting the recognition. They really have to step up their game and come ready with their game face on.”

The squad will pick back up after the Thanksgiving break to prepare for UCA Nationals in Orlando on Feb. 4-6. They had to earn their invitation to Nationals. They competed and placed at a regional event at Sparkman in October.

In addition to Buchanan, varsity flyers are Kassidy Locke and Abby Gilbert. The team has three seniors, Serena Bukovac, Megan Ponder, and Sacco.