Middle school cheer programs boosting skill level for Ridgeland

Any good team starts with a good foundation and for the Ridgeland High School competition cheerleading team, that foundation is truly starting to take its roots.

“We are looking really strong,” said head coach Abby Bates, now in her fifth year with the program. “We’ve got more talent than we’ve had in the past and I think that’s a token of the middle school teams (Rossville and Chattanooga Valley) starting competition teams. Every year has produced more talent.”

Bates said it’s been particularly rewarding for her to see the skill level of her athletes increase year to year.

“As a coach, when you see you team building, you can’t ask for anything more than that and it’s been really exciting to watch the growth,” she explained. “It seems like we have more and more girls trying out every year and the classes that are coming up soon are getting bigger and bigger and that’s been really awesome. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Bates had nothing but praise for her senior class of Kaitlyn Durham, Laneyah Fairbanks, Savannah Ingle, Makaia Padgett and Trinitee Tate.

“We have awesome leaders,” Bates said enthusiastically. “They are so driven. They never give anything less than 100 percent and I so fully mean that. When they step on the mat, they are ready to work and the expectation (of them) is that their teammates are ready to work.”

The lone junior on the squad is Michelle Thomason, followed by a large group of sophomores that feature Aubree Bagwell, Kaitlyn Boller, Mckenzie Brown, Cady Crawford, Savannah Hamrick, Ansley Hill and Anna Shankle. This year’s crop of rookies include Emily Cisco, Olivia Merritt, Shelby Merritt, Lori Smith and Selena Westmoreland.

“I have really have just nice, kind girls,” Bates continued. “They came in this summer and worked. The expectations are to come in, give everything you have and just be the best that you can be that day and I think it’s our seniors that have really put that out there. It’s a talented group. They’re strong and, again, they’re just really nice. They have great leadership and they want the team to work together. I think that the legacy of this group is going to be working together.”

Bates said the team’s routine will be a crowd-pleaser.

“It’s pretty difficult,” she said. “It’s not that there are new skills, but it’s all about building that consistency. It’s fast-paced, crisp, energetic and it never stops, so it’s a lot of fun.”

As with most cheerleading squads, Bates said the goal is to make it to the last day the of finals in Columbus on the final day of the season.

“We want to make it to that final round and I think if we go out there and hit a clean routine and show the skills that we have and be consistent, it’s very likely,” she added. “The keys (to doing that) are staying clean and being consistent and sharp. We can’t give less than 100 percent.”