Baker cheer squad wins state title
In addition to pumping up the crowd and leading the cheers at football and basketball games, the Ida Baker High School cheerleading squad is on a competitive quest of its own.
The Bulldogs captured a state championship at the Official Florida Championships last Saturday in Tampa. The event was sponsored by the American Cheer & Dance Championships.
The squad will now compete in a national event, The American Open, in Orlando on March 6-8.
At the state event, the Bulldogs performed a 2 1/2-minute routine that consisted of pyramids, basket tosses, dancing and jumping. The routine was set to music, which was a mixture of genres.
For their effort, the girls earned the top score and beat teams from Miami, Sarasota, Bartow and Bellevue.
“This was by far their most difficult routine. I was thinking we probably got second,” said Baker coach Crystal Marrone. “When they announced we got first I was very excited.”
This is the third year Baker has formed a competitive cheerleading team. It’s the Bulldogs’ second at the varsity level. There are 21 cheerleaders on the varsity squad.
Though they are not a member of the FHSAA for competitive cheerleading, the Bulldogs raise money and compete in private competitions across the state.
They qualified for the state competition at a regional event in Daytona in January.
Similar to other sports, the Bulldogs have had to prove their resiliency and depth after some of their top cheerleaders suffered injuries this season.
“We had to change the routine five times,” said Marrone. “We changed it again a week and a half before (the state competition).”
The cheerleading squad consists of: Mia Chevez (captain), Laura Raiola (co-captain), Jamie Breadmore, Ashley Swink, Mindy Williams, Lindsay Boye, Daisy De Castris, Andrea Ferro, Vanessa Gerlich, Alex Gonzalez, Tara McBride, Kristin Otterness, Dominique Santangelo, Krystal Kirkpatrick, Gianna Libretti, Katie Royce, Zylie Zawisza, Stephanie Elias, Michaela Holliman, Shyann Saxton and Shannon Wilson.