By Angie Ledbetter

The South Panola cheer squad has had a lot to contend with this year, but are now ready for the National High School Cheerleading competition to be held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida.

New first-year coach Sarah Helen Ware said “rough” is really an understatement for this year.

“We’re a very young squad with only one senior,” she said. “Even with the youth, they’re a very talented squad. They’ve worked so hard and had to overcome so many obstacles.”

The public will have a chance to see the performance on “Show Night” Wednesday, February 6 at 6:30 in the Batesville Junior High gym.

The squad will fly out February 7 for competition February 9 and 10.

This year the competition will be nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2. South Panola competes in large division two, due to the number of squad members and size of school.

Ware said South Panola is one of the smaller high schools there.

“Division two is 1,599 students and down. Division one is 1,600 students and above.”

The squad of 20 usually has more tumbling than they have had this year.

“We’ve made it work with what we have,” Ware said. “I’m so proud of them for how they’ve pulled together and made it work even though they had a rough start.”

At the last minute, Ware has had to make some changes in personnel.

Longtime cheerleader Grayson Pickett has become ill and had to sit out for a few practices. She is under a doctor’s care and hopefully will be able to participate in nationals.

”Grayson has been in this program since seventh grade and knows what it takes,” Ware added. “She’s got one of the better hearts on the floor and wants to be here but her health is much more important than two minutes and thirty seconds on the floor.  Eriyunnah Montgomery was our alternate and she has stepped in never missing a beat.”

The squad won the regional competition for the first time ever and that qualified them for nationals.

“We’ve always qualified obviously but we’ve never won the division. That was a great confidence builder for them. They were able to realize at that point that they could still contend with other squads.”

The girls have been practicing since January 3 full time, was five days a week. They had their first weekend practice this past weekend.