Baldwin police and fire vehicles escorted the competitive cheer team’s bus into the high school parking lot on Saturday night, where family, school officials, and some cheer alumni were waiting to salute the new state champs.
Senior Carly Dowhy said she is thankful for the positive attention.
“We felt super special and accomplished. People were recognizing what we did, and it’s just a really nice thing,” Dowhy said.
Baldwin’s competitive cheer took home first place at states over the weekend in Johnstown – the first state championship in the program’s history.
Junior Cali Chraska said the team did well because of their confidence and grind, as they practiced frequently and worked on their routine.
“I think going into the competition, we were very confident because we had been practicing all winter break and had trust in each other,” Chraska said.
Dowhy agreed that the heavy practice schedule was beneficial for the team.
“We had practice almost every day over winter break, so we were becoming really consistent,” Dowhy said.
Their previous competitions also helped the team with consistency leading up to states.
“Every competition leading up to this, we were able to get the feeling of being in front of a crowd and getting more consistent each time,” Dowhy said.
Chraska said the team was not expecting to win states, but it came as a pleasant surprise.
“The winner was announced on the spot. We were definitely thinking we got second or third. We were very surprised. I don’t think we have jumped or screamed more,” Chraska said.
Because this was the last state competition for seniors, they were very happy with the outcome.
“It was a really good way to go out as a senior,” Addison Scurry said.
Dowhy said sophomore Delaney Palombia was a standout teammate at the competition.
“This was her first year on the mat team in a stunt group, and she did really well. She really encourages her group,” Dowhy said.
As the team prepares for nationals at Disney later this month, this state championship win will help the team’s confidence.
“We’ve never won states before. It definitely is a confidence boost going into nationals because we know that’s the standard now,” Chraska said.
Dowhy agreed.
“We just need to remain calm and have trust in ourselves and our team,” she said.
