兔子先生系列麻豆

Friday, April 6, Wayland Baptist’s cheer team competed in The College Classic competition at Daytona in Orlando, Florida. The following Sunday, they were awarded second place in the Cheer Spirit Showdown division with a score of 40.34, trailing Baylor University by only five points.

Coming off of a Collegiate GameDay National Championship at the Texas Grand Nationals in the 2023 season, following two prior national championships, the team had a lot of support backing them. Though the two competitions were much different, they still knew they needed to bring the most energy, spirit, and cleanest routine.

“The competition that we attended last year was one where we were competing against our own score,” said head coach Kira Weatherton. “This year, we competed against strong, skilled teams and did not know what to expect out of them. It really motivated the team.”

The team faced the hard struggle of the significant decrease of members on the team from last year, but this did not put the team down. If anything, the team came out on the other side stronger than ever. They worked to clean up their routine almost every single day, even outside of practice on their own time, watching film and always seeking the end goal.

Before leaving for Daytona, the team set a goal to hit zero, meaning the judges do not deduct any points on a performance, and the team accomplished that goal.

“The team improved overall in their leadership qualities and cheer talents,” said Weatherton. “I wish everyone could see just how much they have grown in their character.”

This season’s competitive team consisted of eight members. These members are Aubrey Jaramilo (Sr.), Celeste Lozano (Sr.), Ja’Lynn Velasquez (Fr.), Mia Becerril (Fr.), Yazmin Riojas (Fr.), Sarah Bench (Fr.), and Maximous Hernandez (Fr.), along with student assistant, Gwen Phillips (So.) The team was led by Kira Weatherton, who was a part of the WBU cheer team that won the Texas Grand Nationals last season.

“There were times when it seemed as if hope was lost,” said Weatherton. “However, I knew that I had a strong team full of amazing leaders. They stuck beside one another, loved, and encouraged one other through it all.”