Athens cheer to compete for national titles - WHNT News 19

ATHENS, Ala. - The Athens Cheer Program is sending two teams of 58 student-athletes to the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC) in Orlando, Florida during February to compete for national titles.

The Athens High (AHS) competition cheer team is made up of 30 student-athletes and will compete in the Super Varsity division. AHS placed second in regional competition to secure their bid to the national competition. This is the AHS team’s second trip to nationals. Last year AHS placed 2nd in the Junior Varsity division in their first year of competition at the national level.

This will be the third trip to nationals for the Athens Middle School (AMS) team. Twenty-eight AMS cheerleaders will compete in the Large Junior High division. AMS earned top honors by placing first in the region and earned their invitation to nationals.

AHS competition cheer is coached by Nicole Stockman, Kristin Black, and Paige Hicks. The AMS competition cheer team is coached by Chelsea Aderholt. Both programs fall under the leadership of Athens City Schools Cheer Coordinator Gia Russell.

“These coaches and teams have worked incredibly hard to earn the honor of representing Athens on the national stage,” said Russell. “It takes a special kind of determination and work ethic to achieve this kind of success in any program, particularly one that’s relatively young. These student-athletes and coaches are all dedicated to excellence. They are all in and all heart. We couldn’t be more proud."

The cheer teams will compete in Orlando from February 5 through February 10, 2020. The National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC) is the most prestigious cheerleading championship in the country. The NHSCC is held at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Florida, and nationally televised on ESPN2 and ESPNU to over 100 million homes and 32 countries nationwide each year.