Gilmer High cheerleaders closed out their competition season in Gwinnett County.
GHS was at the Buford Arena last Saturday for the region competition, which also served as a sectional qualifier to decide who advanced to state. Gilmer’s routine earned a score of 48.5, which was good enough for fourth place.
However, it was just outside of the top 16 in Class 3A, which kept Gilmer from advancing to state finals.
“All things considered, the girls did great,” coach Naomi Esparza said. “We did have some deductions, and unfortunately that’s what pushed us out from being able to go to state finals.”
GHS performed a new routine at region to take advantage of “what they could perform and execute well.” Esparza made some alterations to their main stunt and tumbling.
“We had never competed with this routine, and it felt like we were unsure of how it would score in front of judges. I think all things considered, they did a really great job. They did a good job of recovering and balancing themselves when they had slip-ups in the routine,” Esparza said.
“Competing at Buford Arena was a big change for the girls because we didn’t know what to expect.”
Gilmer dealt with a high number of injures and seasonal illness leading up to and throughout the season. They were rarely able to practice at full strength and had to alter the routine to compensate.
“We definitely weren’t 100 percent at region,” Esparza said. “We had some who had just come back, and last week was their first week back to practice in about two weeks. It was very uncommon compared to past years not to have a full couple weeks of practice with a full team.”
Given the circumstances of the season, Esparza was happy with it. Next year they will return the bulk of their competition squad.
“We knew coming into the season it was going to be a rebuilding year,” Esparza said. “I think they did great. There was a lot of growth and individual successes. It unfortunately just wasn’t enough to get to state finals.
“I always tell the girls, ‘success is definitely earned and not given. If anything, let that ring true for this year, that you’ve got to earn every bit of success you want to see.’
“We met afterward, and I told them we can still do some great things and start looking forward to next year.”