On Jan. 14, 2017, Bel Air Varsity Cheerleading participated in the Harford Tech Invitational, taking home first place with a score of 123.1, beating Westminster High School by 0.1 points.  

The team had practiced hard leading up to this event, working on sharp and clean motions and making the routine “sparkle”. The team received very high scores for components like dance and partner stunts due to all the precise details they had been focusing on.

Due to a fall during the pyramid, the team’s expectations had dropped after their routine and they thought they had lost their chance at first place. When the announcer called Westminster for second place the team was in shock, and filled with excitement, because their hard work had paid off and they had made all their supporters proud.

“Winning is one the best feelings there is. That rush that you get when you realize that you have reached your goal, through perseverance and teamwork. That is what makes you want to strive for even bigger things, and that is what we plan to achieve for our team,” says sophomore Caitlyn Magee. “Winning this first competition showed us what we are capable of and how there is always room for improvement.”

The next Saturday, on Jan. 18, the girls headed out for their second competition of the season. Westminster High School held the highly-anticipated Invitationals. Hungry for their second win, the team was determined to perform their best even this meet.

Missing one of their back spots, the team had to change up there routine, resulting in a loss of a partner and basket stunts, taking away a lot of the teams’ potential points. Overall, the team came in third, which they were proud of due to the circumstances.

Their next competition will be held on Jan. 26, 2017, and the Lady Bobcats plan to come back strong with a full team and bring home a win for Bel Air!