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Wee Hornets cheerleaders second in competition

Contributed photo Monroe Wee Hornets cheerleaders participated in the Battle in Rocky Top Cheer Competition.

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By Denise Wilson, Staff Writer 9:50 AM Friday, December 4, 2009

The Monroe Wee Hornet cheerleaders have a lot to jump up and down about these days.

The 17-member squad attended a tournament with the sixth-grade Wee Hornets football team, and as part of the event, placed second in the Battle in Rocky Top Cheer Competition. The event took place Nov. 21 in the gymnasium at Whittle Springs Middle School in Knoxville, Tenn.

Only 16 members from the squad competed in the event, which included 13 teams from throughout the country.

For their efforts, the cheerleaders received ribbons and a team trophy for being chosen the 2009 runner-ups in the 11-and-under group, said Tracy Yalich, the group’s cheer coach.

The girls beat out nearby New Miami and Hamilton for second place out of five teams in their age bracket, she said.

“What was really nice is the football team came and cheered us on. I think we were the only cheer squad that had a football team there at the cheer competition,” she said.

The 11-year-old Seymour Eagles football cheerleaders of Seymour, Tenn., won first place in the competition.

Yalich said her squad learned a lot from its first-ever competition.

“I think it really gave them some confidence. It just looked like everybody else had been to competitions before,” she said. “A lot of them did, like, the pyramids and all that kind of stuff and we’re not allowed to do that in Monroe Pee Wee football cheering.”

Instead, Yalich said the squad performed a Monroe “hello cheer,” and got into a formation and spelled out M-W-H-C (Monroe Wee Hornets Cheerleading) with their pom-poms, did some tumbling and performed a couple of chants, plus two dances.

“They had a great time, and I think it’s something they’ll remember for a long, long time,” Yalich said.

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