KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa — Tammy Marshall knew her cheerleading squad was a definite underdog coming into the Far East Cheerleading Competition at Camp Zama last week. Only two members of the Kadena High School Panther team were returning from last year’s squad and it was only her second year as sponsor and coach.
But hard work and team spirit paid off Friday when Kadena copped the title for the first time since 1995.
“They just worked so hard,” Marshall said Monday upon her return to Okinawa. “They worked every day from nine to six, learning new chants, cheers, jumps, stunts and dances. They performed every day and the team members worked so hard that they won ribbons for superior performances at the end of each day.”
Not bad for a team of nine girls and one boy, with four members brand new to cheerleading this year.
“It was a rough week,” Marshall said of the cheerleading camp that ran Nov. 8-12. “Each day they had to learn five new cheers and 10 chants and by Friday they had to put on a brand- new performance based only on what they learned during the week.”
At the end of the week the cheerleaders had learned 26 new chants, 14 cheers, 8 jumps, 26 stunts, 13 pyramids and four dances, Marshall said.
“Every squad had to perform a routine for evaluation on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” Marshall said. “They were all required to take anything they learned that week and choreograph it into a two-minute routine for the final competition in Friday.”
The winning team members from Kadena High are: squad captain Nicole Marshall, co-captain Kiona Davies, Kameachi Allen, Tejai Jordan, Shaniece Lewis, Krynetta Miles, Rocky Romruen, Lori Velasco, Stacey Ware and Angela Wilson. The assistant coach was Tyrita Johnson.
All the team members were nominated as “All American Cheerleaders” and Nicole Marshall, Davies and Romruen were selected to perform during halftime at this year’s Hula Bowl in Hawaii, Marshall said.
The team also won a “Smart Stunt” certificate for safe stunting, five “Superior” ribbons and the event’s “Spirit Stick.”
Twelve schools from all over the Pacific participated in the competition. Seoul American School was awarded second place; Robert D. Edgren High School of Misawa placed third.
“Our team won because they had the best attitude going in,” said coach Marshall, mother of squad captain Nicole. “They were driven but they also had a good time. Their skills were just awesome. They worked real well together.”
It is the second year Marshall, 37, a first-grade teacher at Zukeran Elementary School, has coached the team.
“It’s a brand-new team, so winning this year was extra special,” she said. “It was strenuous, nonstop training and they came through with flying colors.”
She was so proud that she gave the team a week’s rest.
“But we’ll be back to work next week,” she said.
“We’ve got a bid to the nationals in Dallas in December and we have to figure a way to raise the $10,000 to $15,000 we’ll need to get us there.”
