Bob Jones cheer takes state championship

Bob Jones varsity cheer team (Record Photo/Contributed)

MADISON- The state cheer title is staying in Madison for the third straight year.

Bob Jones reclaimed the title James Clemens won last year.

On Nov. 19 at Wallace State Hanceville Bob Jones bested a field of eleven teams in class 7A. The field included Spain Park, Hoover, Enterprise, Hazel Green, Gadsden City, and Buckhorn.

“This team has really come a long way. Last year’s team came in runners up to James Clemens at state. This team wanted to show that we can do the hard routines and we can hit them. We had a high difficulty level,” said Zoe Williams now in her fifth season as Bob Jones Cheer Coach.

In a show of support four members of past cheer teams showed up to cheer on the team.

In their routine the team hit one and half ups, switch ups, high to high full arounds, heel stretches, and two mans. Ashtynn Alford does a solo shoulder stand.

The flyers were Kassidy Locke, Abby Gilbert, and Skylar Elliot. Shelby Wilson is a flyer in the two mans and a base the rest of the routine.

“Skylar is a freshman. When a girl got hurt we pulled her up from JV and she has earned her spot and is doing a great job,” Williams said.

Sydney Jones and Abby Gilbert are the two seniors who have been on the team for all four years.

Two weeks earlier the team finished first in their category in a UCA Regional Qualifier competition at Sparkman High School.

Their season is far from over. The UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship is Feb. 11 and 12 in Orlando. They will be competing in small varsity.

“We are fixing to really rev it up,” Williams said. “We will start reworking parts of the routines making things a little more difficult, adding elements to the routine because we are going up against the best teams in the nation.”

Bob Jones has consistently placed in the top 10 at Nationals. They hope to score big in preliminaries and advance straight to the finals

“Ben Park our new cheer coach tells me all the time he is amazed at the level of difficulty that they are hitting.”

The team still trains at Ace Cheerleading Center which is owned by their former coach Dan Harrod. Harrod now works with all the local teams.

The cheer team will host Breakfast With Santa this Saturday to raise funds for the trip to Nationals.