Ringgold cheerleaders eyeing another high finish at state competition
The Ringgold High School competition cheerleading squad will head to Pepperell this Saturday for their first competition of the season and it will be something of a new experience for head coach Anna Crisp.
Although Crisp is no stranger to high school cheerleading competitions, having been a competition cheerleader herself at Gordon Lee, this will be her first time sitting matside in the head coach’s chair after taking over the Ringgold program in the offseason.
“I’m loving it,” she beamed after a recent practice. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m excited that they’re trusting me with their program. I love the girls too and I think they’ve responded really well to me. They’re used to working hard.”
As with any first-time coach, the senior class become doubly important and Crisp said she is fortunate to have the experience of Kendall Kukta, Bri Andrews, Georgie Moeller, Maggie Crew, Mikayla Cook, Mckenzie Sparks, Melayna Maynor and Mary-kate Bullock.
“They’ve been awesome. They’ve done a great job and helped me with everything,” Crisp said. “I was new to Ringgold, as well as being new to being a high school cheerleading coach, so they’ve helped me a lot with the little details about game day, their traditions and things they like to do. I let them have a lot of input on things like that so that they know how much I appreciate their expertise as well.
“I know it’s hard for them since Tami (Fleming) coached them the last three years and it’s hard stepping in, but they’ve done a great job of welcoming me and helping the team stay focused too. They’re a great group of leaders, who are always cheering each other on.”
The rest of the 2019 competition squad includes juniors Abigail Smith, Gabi Clarke, Hagen Dilbeck, Makenna Jones and Sydney Logan, sophomores Audrey Gaston, Cameron Sony, Graci Shipp and Madison Brown and freshmen Gracey Wilburn, Hannah Corvin, Madison Cropper and Paige Melton.
Crisp said the Tigers’ routine has already had to be altered as the injury bug has already bit.
“We’re already dealing with some injuries, so (the routine) is not as difficult as it started out,” she explained. “But I’m sure by the end of the season we’ll be maxed out where we need to be.”
Despite the unfortunate injuries, Crisp said the team continues to stay the course.
“They’ve done great,” she added. “They’re very thoughtful and they’ll think of different ways we can work things, but they’ve just rolled with the punches. They’ve been patient and haven’t gotten frustrated and let it get to them, so that’s good.”
Ringgold came up with an impressive third-place finish at the Class 3A state finals a year ago and Crisp said the goal is to at least repeat last year’s success.
“It would be awesome to get there again or even improve,” she said. “Tami left big shoes to fill, but that’s definitely my goal for the year and I think it’s going to take consistent practices and then going full out so they’re prepared on the day of the competition. That way I don’t have any worries that anything will go wrong because they’ve practiced the routine so many times. I think the key to getting there is just keeping our eyes on the prize, not getting frustrated and not settling for anything easier than what we know we can do.”