2 Tiffin cheer squads competing at state

TIFFIN — Two cheer squads came together on Monday to represent Columbian and Calvert at the Heminger Center at Tiffin University in a showcase in front of the community to show off the routines that they are taking with them to a big competition.The showcase has been around for two to three years and shows just how much the athletic programs are willing to work together.Both schools are headed to the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators state cheerleading championship. For the last 34 years, the OASSA has been hosting the state championship.On Thursday, it was officially announced that the Ohio High School Athletic Association established a new partnership that establishes the yearly OASSA event as the official state cheerleading competition as the championship.According to the announcement made Thursday by the OHSAA, it brings competitive cheerleading one step closer to being an official OHSAA recognized sport, with the earliest being the 2027-28 school year.The schools will be competing today, with TC in Division III Game Day non-building at 1:10 p.m. and Traditional non-building at 4 p.m., with the Senecas competing in Division III Game Day only at 9:15 a.m.How did they get invited to an event such as this?Both teams had to qualify through regional events. Calvert attended the northwest qualifier at Anthony Wayne High School on Jan. 31, along with Columbian. In order to qualify, each team receives a yes or no and must score 75 points or higher to go out of a 100.What is the difference between the two categories?Game Day is what is seen normally at a game, The megaphones, the signs, the poms, the cheers, the chants, and band dances including the routine to the fight songs.In traditional, it's a lot more quick dance movements, a cheer, and more often about showmanship then what is seen on a football field or basketball court.For TC, its a redemption journey back to the winning column.Taylor Boggs and Jami Hepp are both the coaches for Columbian.Boggs is in her second year of coaching, but she coached middle school for five years."It's amazing to take this team to state," Boggs said. "They are very driven and amazing. They are very connected as a team."After tryouts, and once they make the team is when the real work begins.Like many schools, the cheerleaders have to be either on football or basketball cheer or both in order to be on the competition cheer squads.With the traditional squad, they start training in June, with two-hour practices and at least twice a week. They went to four competitions during the summer.The biggest challenges for the Tornadoes in terms of competitive cheer has been with the traditional squad. With only 10, they are small but mighty."We call them tiny but mighty," Boggs said. "They have come off very strong from the start. They have done well together, they have grown together, they perform very well together and have formed a bond that can be seen as they perform on the mat."Game Day learns theirs in May and starts the training in September as their first competition was in October, and both squads then compete from there on. There are 17 on the game day squad, which poses a little bit of a challenge with the size and meshing of the group."Traditionally, you have a small number of kids during the summer who have been together all summer long for the traditional squad," Boggs said. "Then you add extra girls in for Game Day and that can be a challenge in the team dynamic. This group has jived really well together. Then transitioning into two teams changes the dynamic. In years past, we have had just one routine for everyone, but this year, we have seen growth in both routines."Part of that coming together can be seen in the senior leadership. For Columbian, there is a lone senior, Jerren Little. Little has committed to Division I Bowling Green State University where he plans on studying athletic training and will be on the Falcons Cheerleading Squad."He is a phenomenal leader," said Boggs of the senior. "He has been amazing for us. When he started, he was super shy. He didn't know anything about cheer other than tumbling so he really learned the basics and has done tremendously well for us."Little initially started off in gymnastics when he was four and the original plan was to go into the Olympics. When he got into middle school, he was talked into cheer."At first, I really didn't know if I wanted to do it," Little recalled. "Then there was a guy that I was friends with and was in gymnastics with and he helped me get into the swing of things and then I fell in love with it. It's been fun ever since."For the senior, he has always had a vision for the team in his head."One thought: dream team," Little said. "A team that never quits and I feel like that's what we have right now. After I graduate, I have no doubts that this team will be a fantastic team."The last two years, the outcome hasn't been what we have wanted. So, we are trying to get back into the winning category and I think we have a good chance of getting back there. The showcase was good for us and I want to thank Calvert and TU for allowing us to do it. We have to keep going."Added Breanna Ronski, senior cheerleader at Calvert:"I felt like we were really nervous at first. We felt like we had a high standard to uphold because we won state last year. We talked after our first full out and we got ourselves together and realized that all we have to do is to have fun to do the best we can do.""One team, one sound, let's get loud" That is Calvert's motto and theme this season.Shannon Widman is the coach at Calvert. She has been at the helm for eight years."These girls learn the routine in May," Widman said. "Throughout the year, we make changes, and make it better. We get it to where it needs to be in order to be state-worthy. It definitely evolves and isn't recognizable from what we learned first in May."The competition squad, which is Game Day only, is made up of eight athletes, four of which are seniors. Those seniors are Olivia Link, Ronski, Kara Somodi and Brooklyn Widman.Somodi got involved in cheerleading due to her family. Both of her sisters were cheerleaders and led her in the direction."I remember seeing the varsity cheerleaders when I was in eighth grade," Somodi said. "I remember when the cheerleaders came into the classroom and tried to convince us to join. There was a freshman that convinced me to join and even though I played basketball, these last four years have been the best."Link wasn't sold on the idea of cheer but got pushed into it.For Widman, her mom is the coach, and at first, she wasn't sure as she played basketball, but once she got into it, she fell in love with it. The environment and energy is what solidified her decision."For all of us that have been on the competition squad since we started high school, we try to guide the underclassmen," said Somodi on how to keep the squad accountable. "We hold them accountable so this way when they are our age, they can do the same. It's fun to do this as a senior class and teach them."When it comes down to it, the squad has three minutes to make a powerful first impression on the judges that take a look at every minute detail, down to placement of the arms, to how loud each cheerleader is, to how high the jumps are, and everything in-between."It's surreal," Ronski said. "You can't believe it's happening. Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a cheerleader, and then in eighth grade, I met some of the girls and they seemed really nice and welcoming. I decided to try out and here I am."Part of being able to handle routine change is being able to trust the team surrounding you. That is where team bonding comes into play for the Senecas since they are a small squad."It's very important for us," Somodi said. "Cheer is not an individual sport like let's say track is. We need everyone to be able to do the routine and it's not an individual thing. We have to really trust each other and we have to do our part to be able to execute the routine.""Each girl has a role," coach Widman added. "But being able to work together is what makes the routine work. Each role is just as important as another."At the showcase, the message was clear: the cheerleading community of Tiffin doesn't see each other as competition, but rather as family."If we are at the same competition, we sit in front of the mat cheering TC on," coach Widman said. "They do the same thing for us."