Ridgeland up for Team of the Year... again
Last year was a banner year for the Ridgeland High School cheerleading program.
In started back last January when Ridgeland was one of just four teams statewide to be named as a finalist for Georgia Cheerleader Coaches’ Association (GCCA) Team of the Year, the first time the squad had ever received that designation.
In July, senior Kaitlyn Boller made the cut as a candidate for the GCCA All-State Team for Classes 1A-4A and Cheerleader of the Year, marking the second straight time a Panther cheerleader (Michelle Thomason) made the top 30.
That same month, head coach Abby Bates was named as the Most Positive Girls’ Coach in the entire state in all sports by the Positive Athlete Georgia organization for the previous school year.
The competition squad then went on to enjoy a successful competition season in the fall, culminating in their highest-ever state sectional finish. Ridgeland placed sixth in the event, automatically qualifying for the Class AAAA state finals.
There, they received the highest single-day score in the program’s history, breaking a record they had set earlier in the season.
And with the news of last week, 2022 is starting out to be another great one for the Black-and-White.
For the second consecutive year, Ridgeland is in the final running for GCCA Team of the Year honors. The organization named five finalists this year with Buford, Cook County, Marietta and Ola joining Ridgeland as candidates for the prestigious award.
“We are super excited as a whole,” Bates beamed. “This award is based on academic success, character, community involvement, sportsmanship, and then athletics, so there are lots of contributing factors. This group is a young group, but I’ve coached them for a really long time and they are extremely deserving of the nomination.”
The team is in the process of putting together a required video submission for the judges, which is due on Feb. 10. The announcement of the Team
of the Year is scheduled to take place in late February.
“I really think we have a good shot, but we’re going up against some great teams who do a lot of great things too,” she added. “Still, we’re super excited.”
Ridgeland has also seen four squad members — Boller, Cady Crawford, Rylee Hughes and Lori Smith — nominated for this year’s Most Positive Athlete award in Cheerleading for the Northwest Georgia region. The regional winner will then be up for the state awards later in the year.