The Ramona High School varsity and junior varsity cheer teams combined forces to win the San Diego CIF Game Day Co-Ed Large Division on Dec. 13 at Carlsbad High School.
The title marks Ramona’s first CIF championship for cheer.
“All of the hard work and tough practices finally paid off,” said senior team captain Maya Collins. “Winning was exciting, and seeing the team’s joy and knowing we achieved our goal together made it even more incredible.”
Senior cheer captain Reagan Heimer reflected on the challenges of leading the team through intense practices before the competition.
“The most challenging part was handling the pressure while keeping the team motivated, focused and confident as we prepared for CIF,” Heimer said.
The teams are judged by their overall impression and their ability to engage the crowd, said head cheer coach Taralyn Hemphill. They are also evaluated on their use of props like megaphones and pom-poms, and how well they execute offense and defense cheers.
“Our entire team worked together to keep one another grounded with words of encouragement and smiles,” said senior cheer captain Ellie Price.