The 2014 Oregon high school cheerleading state championships took place at the Veteran Memorial Coliseum in Portland on this last Saturday, Feb. 15. The cheerleading teams competed in accordance with the division their school is in, with state championships being given in 7 different divisions. Tigard competed in the 6A/5A large division, which included schools such as Aloha and Sunset.

“It was great to get the chance to be there,” said junior cheerleader Jordan Stephens. “All of the other teams were so welcoming and supportive of us since it was our first time at state.”

Although Tigard hasn’t gone to state in more than 10 years, the tough competition in their division didn’t scare them away from going. Making it to state has been a goal of the cheer team for a long time and everyone on the team was glad be able to experience competing at such a large competition.

“We’ve been working really hard to make this happen and I’m glad we were able to,” said head coach Tara Circilione.

New to Tigard this year, Circilione revamped the program, making sure that the team would start to compete again. To prepare for this competition, the team has been practicing 3-4 nights a week, working on their tumbling and stunting skills, as well as perfecting their routine.

Although Tigard didn’t place this year, everyone on the team was grateful for the experience and excited for next year’s season where the team will be more prepared to compete and hope to take a higher title. Just by being at state, Tigard was able to establish their presence among schools that have competed for years and to motivate the cheerleaders and coaches to become even more determined and focused for the years to come.