Tualatin Cheer won their second consecutive USA National Championship after overcoming injuries and sickness during the season.
This incredible news followed numerous first-place wins at the Clackamas Invitational, OCCA Game Day Champions, OCCA All State Partner Stunt, Falcon Rumble, Lake Rumble, Lion Cheer Challenge, Newberg Classic, Pacer Invitational, OE Classic and USA Regionals, and a second place finish at OSAA’s State Championships.
Once again Tualatin coed varsity cheer put everything on the line in Anaheim, Calif., at the 2024 USA National Championship. The Wolf interviewed seniors Ashlee Jackson and Hunter Smith and sophomore Orlando Villa Clemente to learn how this feat was accomplished.
What does winning nationals mean to the team and its seniors?
Jackson: “It was amazing to win two years in a row because we were trying to defend our national title. It was even better this year because we didn’t expect to even make it to finals, and then to hear our name called in first place going into finals we knew either way we would be placing in the top three. Going into finals ranked first was helpful because we were able to go after our competition, so we knew what we needed to do to win. We went out there with all the highest energy we had all year and left it all out there. After our performance, we knew we had won, and it felt amazing knowing we won a national championship back to back. It definitely meant a lot to the seniors because this was our last performance of the year, so to finish on such a strong note made us so happy.”
Was the team expecting to win nationals again this year?
Smith: “We changed divisions to a harder difficulty this year, and we truly had no expectations on how we would do in this difficulty; however, we were triumphant.”
What was the preparation like?
Jackson: “Practice every weekday. Tumbling practices Monday and Thursday for an hour, two-hour practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, and run-through practices of the routine on Fridays.”
What did you do differently from last season to reach this achievement?
Smith: “During our preseason, the summer, we put a lot more emphasis and training with our tumbling and stunts. We doubled our tumble practices and went to stunting clinics to increase our skill levels. We put the extra work in to stand out and show the difference that we made from last year.”
