By Jessica Ketchum
Student Writer

Stomp your feet, grab a seat and make some noise. The show is about to begin. 

The Morgan County High School Competition Cheerleaders are taking over Morgan County and hosting the first ever Bulldog Invitational in the new MCHS gym on Saturday, September 27, headed up by Varsity Cheerleading Coach Heather Jenkins.

With only a $5 ticket, the audience gets to cheer along side the teams as they compete against each other, starting with the middle school division at 9 a.m. and the high school division at 11a.m.

The school hopes to use this experience to introduce the sport of competitive cheerleading to the community.

Competition cheerleading is usually a much overlooked athletic sport, but a sport nonetheless. The ambitious team of only 17 girls performs a two and a half minute routine consisting of jumps, a cheer, stunts, running and standing tumbling, as well as pyramids and dancing in front of a panel of judges.
The sport of competition cheerleading differs greatly from "cheering on the sidelines." Competition cheering takes everything done in cheerleading- like jumps, cheering, stunting, tumbling and dancing- and puts it all together into a two and a half minute routine while kicking the difficulty level up to 100 percent. The girls are judged on their sharpness, difficulty level, and overall execution of their routine.

"Competition cheerleading is a lot different then I thought it would be," states freshman competitive cheerleader Andy Richardson.  "It's a lot of hard work and definitely, a lot of sweat."

Each team shows off their own unique style through their routine and their music.  The music is synchronized with each team's routine and can show off the team's personality.

"I definitely love our music this year," says junior competitive cheerleader Melanie Barnett.  "It really brings out our personality as a team and it's a lot of fun to dance to."

The music's goal is to get the crowd involved and to help pump up the judges.  Some routines will take you back to the '80s, while others bring you forward with some of today's hottest hits.

The Morgan County High School team competes every Saturday at surrounding high schools throughout the region, working their way to regionals and hopefully securing a spot there for the State Finals in Columbus on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8.

"I can't wait to see their routine this year," proclaims non-cheering, but eager supporter junior Ashley Culp. "They have been working so hard and the competitions are always a lot of fun."

Everyone on the team is working hard show their talent and dedication to the school's new title of  "Best High School in America." However, the road there is nothing short of tough.

 "I'm really nervous about our pyramid," says junior competitive cheerleader Cassie Chupp. "It's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."
The girls practice nearly every day in the old gym to perfect their performance.

Junior competitive cheerleader Sara Lindsey states, "Competition cheerleading is an experience it itself. It's definitely challenging but very rewarding."

The team is very excited about bringing all of their hard work to the community and performing it for the first time in their own home.

"I look forward to starting a new tradition with the first annual Bulldog Cheerleading Invitational," Jenkins says. "I hope everyone comes out to support the teams and our girls as well."

There will be a performance by the host team, the county's very own MCHS Bulldogs, along with over 40 middle and high school competitive cheerleading teams, including the MCMS competition team.

"I am so excited to be hosting the invitational in such a state of the art facility," Jenkins says. "It's great our athletes have such a nice place to compete as well as entertain visitors."

The MCHS squad is depending on the public to  come out and attend the first ever Bulldog Invitational and be a part of Morgan County history.