Kimball cheerleaders take 5 trophies at Ventura Dance Invite

The Kimball sports seasons tends to be flooded with the excitement that surrounds football, basketball and volleyball, just to name a few sports. However, in the hustle and bustle of the "Longhorn Pride," it is sometimes easy to overlook those who put forth the effort to make sure there is cheering in the stands - the cheerleaders.

The Kimball High School cheerleaders are responsible for keeping up the crowd's spirits and encouraging that ever motivating cheering for the Longhorns. The cheerleaders of Kimball High School put on quite a show that is both accurate and well-timed.

"We work hard, about four to five hours a week, making sure we have our routines and cheers down," said coach Tiffani Dea.

The girls' practice routine paid off big time recently at the Ventura Dance Invite. The Ventura Dance Invite has four categories cheer squads can compete in - pom, hip-hop, jazz and kick line.

"We have gone the past three years and before we only participated in one or two categories, but this year we went for all four," Dea said.

In order to perform a competition-worthy delivery, the cheer team has been working on its routines for Ventura since June. While the girls usually practice four to five hours a week, roughly three of those hours are dedicated to learning and perfecting their competition routines.

All the hard work paid off in the end because the cheer team brought five trophies back from the Venture Dance Invite.

"We received first place in pom and hip-hop, second in jazz and kick line, and then we received a trophy for highest score on a routine," Dea said.

Dea said Kimball only lost first place in kick line by 0.9 points.

Some might say that cheer is just something to do on the side, in between "more important" things, however, Dea would beg to differ.

"Honestly, cheer takes extreme athleticism. This is because everything has to be so precise and controlled. You're not just moving around physically, you're putting on a show. To be in control of your legs being straight, your toes pointed, make sure you're smiling takes a lot of control and coordination," Dea said.

The cheerleaders have been working on stunting this past summer, which requires throwing people in the air and holding them there before catching them safely. This is something that requires much skill and Dea boasted that her girls picked it up right away.

Dea expressed the need to prove that cheerleaders are indeed athletes, and they deserve a lot more credit than they get.

"I get that there is a certain stigma when you say, cheerleader. I'm trying to encourage my girls to change that. I want them to be good role models and think before they act," Dea said.

Dea encourages her cheerleaders to make good grades and be people for younger girls to look up to.

"They already have such an influence. I teach dance at Mary Lynch (Elementary School) on Mondays and I had a few of my high school cheerleaders come help out and when they walked through the door you would have thought they were celebrities the way those little girls acted," Dea said.

Not only does Dea hope her cheerleaders inspire younger community members, but all community members. She says that cheer should inspire pride and provide another avenue for Kimball to be good at something.

"I want people to really see the hard work that goes into this and see it as another way to be an athlete, and hopefully we provide a sense of pride for the community," Dea said.

The cheer team will perform its winning routines at the home high school basketball games. They will perform one at each game, so everyone in attendance can see what they worked so hard to achieve.

The cheer team is also preparing for the state cheer competition, which is set for Feb. 21, 2015, in Grand Island. The team will compete in two categories, and hopes members of the community will travel there to cheer them on.