Wellsville High School Competition Cheer Team Megan Coleman, senior; Adison Allen, junior; Trenity Lavette, sophomore; Araynah Moman, sophomore, captain; Lainey Bosworth, freshman; Khloe Thompson, freshman; Eva Wolfe, freshman; Joslynn Reese, freshman; Jaidyn Bebout, freshman; and Clara Sablaeux, senior, with their first-place trophy the East Districts Division V competition. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

WELLSVILLE – The 10 girls who make up the Wellsville High School Competition Cheer Team – Megan Coleman, senior; Adison Allen, junior; Trenity Lavette, sophomore; Araynah Moman, sophomore, captain; Lainey Bosworth, freshman; Khloe Thompson, freshman; Eva Wolfe, freshman; Joslynn Reese, freshman; Jaidyn Bebout, freshman; and Clara Sablaeux, senior, are all in agreement that getting their first win under their belts has left them feeling empowered and confident as they head into more competitions.

It was the first time for the young team to bring home a first-place win in a competition.

The Team placed first in the East Districts Division V for cheer competition this past Sunday, which earned them a spot to compete in Columbus in the Best of State (BITS) competition in January.

The team, which is a no tumble, no structure team, meaning they focus on the basic crowd cheering aspects of cheer, competed against four other no tumble, no structure similar sized teams.

Coaches Megan Ross and Shelbie Householder have been working with the team for five years and took the team to the BITS three years before it was changed to having to qualify through competition to go.

Araynah said the win means a lot to her and the team since they have never won anything before, and it has left her excited to see where the team can go. The win is also a confidence boost for her and the team.

Megan, who is the co-captain, said the win means a lot and that they have worked really hard for a long time for it.

“I think it gave a lot of confidence to me and everyone on the team and I think moving forward this will help us be more positive and overall work better, work harder,” she said.

Megan, who was on the team when it went to BITS three years, said she feels more confident going into this year than she did the first time they competed in the competition and believes the team has a good chance of competing and scoring well and she is excited for it.

Araynah said she feels having the first victory under their belts will help her as captain to inspire the younger team members more.

Trenity, who has been cheering for three years, said the experience was a good one for her and all the girls did what they were supposed to do and that got them first place, which none of the girls were expecting. She said now that they know they are capable of winning, they will be working harder and going into the competition without an ego but with a boost of confidence.

Ross said they placed third in their first competition and second in their second one and won first in their third.

Trenity also said they will be going into the next competition with the attitude they can win it. She noted that for the first competition they were so nervous, but they get better every day.

Eva noted that Ross may push them to be better because she sees potential in them and even with some rough practices they keep getting better and she feels that they have chance to win because they are work well together, have confidence and have a good bond with each other.

She also says that Ross is strict with them because she cares about them and wants the best for them and she feels Householder is a good coach and was a big part of their win.

Ross noted that the team practices with the junior high and serve as role models for the younger girls.

Ross also noted that Wellsville was the last school in the district to get practice mats, so the girls can now practice more safely, which can help them in competition by eliminating the time they spend at competition practicing lining up on the mats.

The team has four more meets to compete in. When asked if they were ready for the next competition the girls enthusiastically yelled “Yes.”

Their next competition is coming up next weekend.

kgarabrandt@mojonews.com