Bring it on!
Ganado cheerleaders ready for competition

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Diné Bureau

The Ganado Hornet cheerleaders practice their routine inside the Ganado Pavilion on Wednesday afternoon. The Hornet cheerleaders are heading to Hawaii to compete at the end of this month. This is the first time a Native American team will go to the competition. [Photo by Matt Hinshaw/Independent]

GANADO — The Ganado Competition Cheerleading Squad has three little words to say to their competitors:

Bring it on!

After nabbing first place for the past four years, twice at two different national level cheerleading competitions in Las Vegas, Nevada, the girls are headed for the big time. They will be competing at the end of May at an international level at the Sharp International World Finals in Honolulu, Hawaii,.

The team of girls, ranging from 9 to 13 years old, will not be competing against other elementary students, though. Because there is no elementary category in the international finals, they will be competing against junior high teams from around the world.

The thought of competing against more experienced teams is a bit nerve-wracking for head coach Sharon Campbell, even though their girls have successfully triumphed over 12 other teams in their division for the past several years.

"The routine they have down," she said. "It's just about cleaning it up."

As the girls practiced several of their routines Wednesday afternoon, they demonstrated teamwork, athleticism, and enthusiasm, and they executed each stunt with a smile.

While it is common to see a cheerleader smiling in routine, it is not all about smiles and happy cheers.

"If they don't smile, they run. If they don't point their toes, they run. If they don't show enthusiasm, they run," Campbell said.

When Taylor Yazzie, 13, joined four years ago, she was looking for an extracurricular activity.

"I thought it would be a fun experience," she said.

Yazzie said it turned out that cheer was harder than she thought it would be, but she plans to stick with it.

Their daily agenda includes hard work, Campbell said. The girls also have to weigh-in regularly, lift weights, and do intense stretching.

"I think every single one of my girls can do the splits," Campbell said.

Like any other sport, the squad is expected to maintain at least a 'B' average and follow a strict code of conduct. Campbell said many of the girls also participate in a number of other extracurricular activities, such as National Junior Honor Society, Student Council, and band.

"Education is really big for me," said Campbell. "That's one of my rules."

Campbell has been coaching the team for the past four years, and also coached for a year in Jeddito and Prescott Valley. But coaching on the Nation poses a unique challenge, especially since Campbell said that people don't accept cheer as a sport.

"They don't see the work they do," Campbell said. "People need to realize that this is a sport, and these girls work as hard as anybody else."

"It's not a sport where people just have fun," said Brinli Kee, 13. 'You're exhausted, but you still have to smile."

Kee has been on the team for four years and is the Captain for the junior squad.

Campbell said the only time that the squad performs for audiences is when there is a request, but that they mostly perform for competitions. A majority of the girls have been together on the squad for the past four years, which has made the teamwork especially strong.

The team consists of 15 girls, but Campbell said only 9 girls were able to afford the trip to Hawaii. Travel and competition fees along were $2,400.

"Each family had to do their own fundraising," Campbell said.

Right now, there is no cheer program for girls who complete the elementary level. Though some parents and school officials would like to see Campbell coach another team in addition to elementary students, her duties along with being a coach include being a special education teacher, college student, and mother.

"People don't realize the dedication it takes to do this full time," Campbell said. "This year was a huge undertaking."

Fundraising has been a big hurdle, but Campbell said supportive parents and her two assistant coaches, Alyse Premo and Ruth Yazzie, have been instrumental in making their trip to Hawaii a reality. She gives credit to her squad as well.

"They really want to show people that they're capable of doing things," she said.

The girls will be leaving May 23rd and will be competing on May 25th.