Ten Rainier High School cheerleaders left the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) camp at Great Wolf Lodge in Centralia last week with hardware, knowledge and confidence heading into the upcoming school year.
Skye Dale, Peyton Thomas, Jetta Watkins, Sarah Barry, Briella Davenport, Shyann Weschler, Josie Grager, Hollyann Covington, Marian Jackson and Samantha Cohen-Olson attended the camp from July 15 through July 18. Denaliann Blizzard is also a veteran member of the cheer team but could not attend.
RHS was one of 14 schools that competed in the four-day camp, in which cheerleaders learned new skills and routines and competed against each other. Rainier performed twice, a camp routine and a game-day routine, on Thursday, July 18, and took first and second place, respectively, in the two events.
Head coach Mariah Frost said the camp routine is a dance followed by a pyramid, which the cheerleaders learned during the camp. The game-day routine is a band chant followed by a sideline chant and cheer. Both routines required multiple stunts and plenty of practice.
“It definitely took a lot of going back to our dorms and practicing, going back and forth, especially with two routines,” team captain Dale said. “There was a lot of sleep lost, but it was fun. It was worth it.”
The Rainier cheerleaders also took home the UCA Spirit Banana Award for their energy, positivity and presence. The large, inflatable banana award was a big deal for them as Rainier was one of the smaller groups in attendance.
“It seems like a silly thing, but it’s such a big deal to the girls. It’s at the end of the day and everybody’s tired and exhausted, but they show one last little burst of energy and cheer and spirit before they go to bed,” Frost said. “All the teams have to compete to see who can be the loudest and most positive.”
Six cheerleaders got to try out for the UCA All-American team, and four — Davenport, Thomas, Jackson and Cohen-Olson — were chosen and invited to cheer with the team in special events in London, Hawaii and the Citrus Bowl halftime show in Orlando, among other events.
Thomas, who also attended the UCA camp last year, said she was scared to try out in 2023 but gave it a shot this year with little expectations.
“It meant a lot to get chosen. It was super cool that a couple of us made it. I would love to do it,” she said. “It sounds like an awesome experience.”
Dale was also awarded the Pin It Forward Award by UCA staff for her exemplary leadership and kindness. Each of the seven UCA staffers gets to pick one cheerleader on the first day of camp, and then the recipients pass on the award to fellow attendees throughout the remainder of the camp. She earned the award on the first day and was picked again by a fellow winner.
“That was super cool to get. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to get it twice, but they didn’t care,” Dale said.
She was also nominated to try out to join the UCA staff and even help run UCA camps after high school.
Going into the 2024-25 season, the cheerleaders feel a new sense of confidence and team chemistry after the successful camp. They were encouraged by not just their teammates but also the cheerleaders from other schools in attendance, despite being one of the smaller teams.
“The last few years that we’ve been going to camp, they’ve always done well, but we’re a smaller school, and it’s harder to hide your mistakes in your routine when you don’t have as many people out there,” Frost said. “It’s always been a great experience because they come home more knowledgeable and skilled, but it’s hard when they’re competing with some of these bigger teams that have been competing together since they were 5. Sometimes a couple of them feel a little defeated, but this time we didn’t feel that way at all.
“It was an amazing feeling to know that we went there with these big schools and were competitive with them,” she continued. “It doesn’t matter that we’re small. We can really do this and compete at this level.”
