March 18, 2019 at 06:03AM
There is being a competitor, then there is working as hard as a team possibly can. South Central Athletics has a junior cheer squad which has received their first bid to a national competition - and will be the first team from Somerset to ever compete in The Summit.
"The Summit is the most prestigious nationals that you can go to in all-star cheerleading," explained Tabitha McQueen, owner of South Central Athletics.
"About 12,000 teams compete for a bid. Only about 1,200 get a bid. So just getting a bid puts you in the top 10 percent of the nation."
A "bid," for those who are unfamiliar, is receiving an invite by having one of the highest scores in a Summit bid event.
The level-4 small junior team is made up of nine girls between the ages of 10 and 14. They come from across the region: Pulaski, Madison Rockcastle and Clinton counties.
"We have girls from both city and county (schools). And that's why I like all-star cheerleading, because it makes a community team," McQueen said.
"I feel like the community should be excited for these girls, because this is huge. Not all nationals are invitation only, and this one is. This is a huge, huge honor."
Adilynn Frei, Adyson Bradley, Aubrey Howard, Blakeleigh Helton, Isabella Denney, Kelsey Elder, Sydnee Muse, Taylor Brown and Trinity Hughes have all "worked their booties off," said McQueen.
"They've worked so hard, and this is a huge honor."
The Summit takes place May 10 through May 12 in Orlando, Fla., at Walt Disney World's and ESPN's Wide World of Sports.
McQueen said it will take about $700 for each girl to get them there, and while the team has had one fundraising event, they expect to have more in the future. Details will be announced on South Central Athletics' Facebook page.
She said that getting a bid has been the team's goal all year. Girls have to try out to be placed on the team. The nine that make up this particular team began in May of last year, working on conditioning, tumbling, jumping and stunts.
"They have to keep their skills, come to practice and be committed to be able to stay on it," McQueen said.
South Central Athletics offers teams for girls ages 3 to 18, at different levels of skill.
The business is located on Sallee Street.
There is being a competitor, then there is working as hard as a team possibly can. South Central Athletics has a junior cheer squad which has received their first bid to a national competition - and will be the first team from Somerset to ever compete in The Summit.
"The Summit is the most prestigious nationals that you can go to in all-star cheerleading," explained Tabitha McQueen, owner of South Central Athletics.
"About 12,000 teams compete for a bid. Only about 1,200 get a bid. So just getting a bid puts you in the top 10 percent of the nation."
A "bid," for those who are unfamiliar, is receiving an invite by having one of the highest scores in a Summit bid event.
The level-4 small junior team is made up of nine girls between the ages of 10 and 14. They come from across the region: Pulaski, Madison Rockcastle and Clinton counties.
"We have girls from both city and county (schools). And that's why I like all-star cheerleading, because it makes a community team," McQueen said.
"I feel like the community should be excited for these girls, because this is huge. Not all nationals are invitation only, and this one is. This is a huge, huge honor."
Adilynn Frei, Adyson Bradley, Aubrey Howard, Blakeleigh Helton, Isabella Denney, Kelsey Elder, Sydnee Muse, Taylor Brown and Trinity Hughes have all "worked their booties off," said McQueen.
"They've worked so hard, and this is a huge honor."
The Summit takes place May 10 through May 12 in Orlando, Fla., at Walt Disney World's and ESPN's Wide World of Sports.
McQueen said it will take about $700 for each girl to get them there, and while the team has had one fundraising event, they expect to have more in the future. Details will be announced on South Central Athletics' Facebook page.
She said that getting a bid has been the team's goal all year. Girls have to try out to be placed on the team. The nine that make up this particular team began in May of last year, working on conditioning, tumbling, jumping and stunts.
"They have to keep their skills, come to practice and be committed to be able to stay on it," McQueen said.
South Central Athletics offers teams for girls ages 3 to 18, at different levels of skill.
The business is located on Sallee Street.