Members of the Briarwood Varsity Cheerleading Squad show off the trophy they received for being the first runner-up in the Georgia Independent School Association AA state cheerleading competition at the Georgia state fairgrounds in Perry. Left to right are Junior Liz Grant, Senior Britt Edwards, Senior Amy McGee, Junior Ali Dyson, and Sophomore Abby McAvoy. Five Briarwood Academy cheerleaders from Washington are members of Briarwood’s varsity competition cheerleading squad which put on an impressive performance to capture first runner-up in the Georgia Independent School Association AA state cheerleading competition recently at the Georgia state fairgrounds in Perry.

“We were so excited. It was a big milestone for us,” said varsity coach Amy Hadden whose team has progressively improved in the competitions throughout this season. “It was a fun day. They worked hard and came a long way. I am so proud of them.

“It was our goal, and it’s the best we’ve ever done,” she continued. “Our goal is to always get better, and we were better. They put on an awesome performance.”

“It was fun; it was challenging,” said senior Amy McGee. “I just wish everyone could come out and watch us and see just how physically challenging it really is.”

Senior Britt Edwards agreed.

“I don’t think anyone has any idea what we have to do in our competitions,” Britt said.

Cheerleading is an under-appreciated sport because most people don’t recognize the dedication, athleticism, hard work and skill involved in cheerleading, according to Mrs. Hadden, who coaches both the football and basketball cheerleading squads as well as the competition squad.

“It’s tough,” she says. “We start practicing in August, and our practice schedule is an in tense two hours every school day until basketball starts, and we have to share the court. Sometimes we end up having extra practice late at night or on weekends. They have to be committed to cheerleading.”

Karen McGee, the mother of senior Amy McGee who has participated in competition cheerleading through high school, agrees.

“I have seen a lot of growth through the years,” she said. “They’re more poised, and they’re doing much more difficult stunts during their routine.”

After developing a routine, the cheerleaders perform in a number of competitions throughout the season in an effort to perfect their routine before the state meet.

Competition routines musts be 2 ½ minutes long and are judged on motions and dance, tumbling, jumps, cheer, stunts, and pyramids, choreography, voice and loudness, and performance and showmanship.

During the course of this year’s routine, the girls performed a swiftly moving series of stunts. Ali Dyson is one of the cheerleaders who performs the more advanced stunts. Dyson performs in two of the featured stunts, a series of cartwheel back hand springs and a series of aerials, cartwheels with no hands.

The entire squad, constantly rotating positions, performed the stunting portion of the routine, which is lifting someone who weighs as much as you do over your head and basically bench pressing them. During the stunting the girls also incorporated the basket toss, which is throwing the top girl into the air as high as “eight to 10 feet” where she performs a choreographed post before falling back and being caught by her teammates.

Briarwood also has a highly successful middle school competitive cheerleading team. Coached by Mary Lynn Reese, the middle school cheerleaders captured first place in all three of the competitions entered this past season.

Anna Goolsby, Grace BlackmonHughes, and Savannah Carani are the middle school cheerleaders with Washington connections.

Both the varsity and middle school cheerleaders took first place at the final competition before state, the Heart of Georgia, held at Westfield Schools in Perry. In addition to placing first in the AA division in varsity cheerleading, the Briarwood varsity cheerleaders received the Best Choreography award in the varsity division for both AA and AAA.

In their first competition of the season, the varsity girls placed third in the Spirit of Sandersville competition held in Sandersville.

The sixth, seventh and eighth grade middle school cheerleaders, competing on the junior varsity level, finished their season at the Heart of Georgia, having placed first in all three of their competitions this season.

“They were fantastic! I couldn’t be prouder,” coach Mary Lynn Reese said. “They’ve worked hard, and they’ve been rewarded for their hard work and expertise by winning first place in each competition we’ve entered.”

“Not only are we the only middle school that competes, we’re competing in the junior varsity division (eighth, ninth and tenth grades) against AAA schools,” she continued. “That makes our wins even more significant.”

The middle school Buc cheerleaders defeated both AAA Tattnall Academy of Macon, and AAA Westfield School of Perry, to take first place overall in the Heart of Georgia competition.

In other competition, Anna Goolsby was a member of a group which placed first in the stunt group competition, while Grace Blackmon Hughes, the daughter of Hughes and Jim Blackmon, formerly of Washington, was part of a group which placed first in the lib off competition.