Top Lobsters: Ridgeland makes final four for Team of the Year
It’s been a steady climb for the Ridgeland High School competition cheerleading program since its inception in 2010.
And now, as the squad starts its second decade, its efforts are beginning to show in a big way.
Back in the fall, Michelle Thomason, the squad’s lone senior, became the first Ridgeland cheerleader to ever make the top 30 for the Georgia Cheerleader Coaches’ Association (GCCA) Cheerleader of the Year Award.
In December, Ridgeland was named one of 12 nominees for the GCCA Team of the Year Award and, on Monday, the Panthers found out that they have made the final four for the prestigious honor, along with Carrollton, Morgan County and Starr’s Mill.
It marks the first time that Ridgeland has ever advanced this far for Team of the Year.
“We were waiting all day and kept refreshing social media,” beamed head coach Abby Bates, who took over the program in 2015. “It’s an honor. The (rest) of the top four teams are some of the best in state, so to be among them, it’s amazing.
“It means a lot to our program. We have a great group of girls who have really worked hard. These girls are involved on campus and in their community. They are truly great representatives of their school. We’re just super excited.”
Much in the same fashion as Cheerleader of the Year is being decided, Ridgeland had to submit a lengthy application, which included a short essay from the coach and endorsements from the school’s Athletic Director and a member of the local community.
Ridgeland’s final step will be submitting a six-minute video, due Feb. 5, that highlights not just the squad’s mat skills, but its team spirit and unity, sportsmanship, crowd involvement and creativity on the theme of how their team achieves success.
“We’re really excited to highlight that about our program,” Bates said.
Community involvement is also a key component of the judging and the Ridgeland cheerleaders have worked closely with a group and a cause close to their hearts, the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Chattanooga’s Erlanger Hospital. The team has raised over $6,000 for Erlanger’s NICU and the “Giving Back for Duncan” Fund.
Should Ridgeland win, they would become the first local team to win the award since Trion in 2013. Team of the Year will be announced at the GCCA Spring Conference and the winning squad will be invited to perform at the conference.
“(The girls) were so excited when they found out,” Bates said. “They were just so proud and humble. They know it’s an honor and this means a lot to us. This group has bought into the Panther Cheer family. They’re just proud and it says a lot about this group.”
In addition to Ridgeland, the squads at Gordon Lee, Heritage and Ringgold, along with Chattooga, were also in the top 12 for the award.
Two other area cheerleaders, Gordon Lee’s Abbey Dunfee and Ringgold’s Sydney Logan, were selected as finalists for the Class 1A4A Cheerleader of the Year, which will be awarded next month.