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Title Gives Them A Reason To Cheer

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN

gnewman@tampatrib.com

Published: February 25, 2009

PLANT CITY - The Plant City High School cheerleaders won the Western Conference cheer competition, outscoring 23 other schools in the process, to take their first title in school history.

The Plant City team outpaced several strong perennial contenders to win the championship.

Newsome High School finished second to Plant City, and Sickles and Durant high schools tied for third place.

"I'm so excited about the win I can't believe it," Plant City cheerleading coach Ginger Parks said. "We wanted to do well, but the girls nailed two routines in a row and won it all. It's like an impossible dream come true."

Cheerleader Jessica Bullard, a 17-year-old junior, said she knew her team could get high scores during the Feb. 6 competition.

"Preparing for the competition we had two-a-day practices, before and after school, for two weeks," Bullard said. "On the day before the competition we had a demonstration practice just as school let out. We fumbled and tumbled through the practice and kind of made a mess of it."

Parks and her assistant coach, Cassie Barrow, thought the practice that was witnessed by students as they exited the school would be a good experience for the cheerleading team leading to the competition at Armwood.

"Going into Armwood High School auditorium with over 1,000 people screaming at the top of their lungs can be distracting," Parks said. "I wanted them to be ready."

They didn't look ready at that last practice session, but Bullard said she and her teammates weren't deterred.

"I told our coaches that when we were on the mats and the adrenaline started pumping we would be ready," Bullard said.

As it turned out they were, but it wasn't that simple with 23 other teams vying for the title.

"On Friday Feb. 6 we were looking for any edge we could get," Parks said.

Parks, a 1987 Plant City High School graduate and University of South Florida graduate, is in her first year as cheerleading coach at the school. She teaches English I and Honors English II.

Barrow, a 2001 graduate of Royal Palm Beach High School and University of Central Florida graduate, is in her second year coaching cheerleading at Plant City High. She teaches 10th grade reading.

A high score in the first round of competition placed the Plant City team in the top 10.

"To tell you the truth, I was just pleased that our team made the top 10. It was a real accomplishment," Parks said. "To think they could pull off another perfect routine was not something I really expected. But they are young enough and they were excited enough to think they could do it again."

Teams were scored on sportsmanship, crowd-leading ability, choreography, synchronization, stunts and tosses, tumbling and jumps, pyramids, execution and practicality of skills. In order to make their team more competitive with high-ranking programs, the Raiders added a new pyramid skill.

"In the last week of practice we worked in a collapsing pyramid and recovery move that increased our level of difficulty," Parks said. "We worked hard to get it right, and in the competition the girls hit it right on the mark. It was perfect."

Parks was hoping to place in the top three.

"I wasn't able to see all the competing teams perform, so I really didn't know what our team was up against. I just knew some teams, like Bloomingdale, Armwood and Durant, had excellent teams."

The judges turned in their scores, and all the teams sat on the floor of the Armwood gym and waited for the results.

"They announced there was a tie for third place," Parks said. "That meant four out of the 10 teams would be recognized. I just wanted us to at least place."

When Sickles and Durant were named as the third-place teams, Parks gasped at the thought of coming in second.

"I knew we had done a great job on the mats but wasn't sure where we stood."

The announcement was made that Newsome High School was the second-place finisher. Parks had coached the cheerleaders there when the school opened in 2003. She had coached them to the Western Conference finals that first year and to the top three the next year. Her team at Plant City was about to pull off the impossible.

"I really didn't have time to think about how we could make it to No. 1," Parks said. "Cassie and I just looked at each other. We were honestly confused. We knew the girls had done everything right. We didn't understand who could be picked No. 1. Then they said Plant ... and that Plant seemed to stretch out forever. My mind raced. Is it Plant High School? They were in the top 10 and they were one of the teams I didn't see compete in the finals. And then the announcer continued with Plant City High School. I was in shock."

Barrow said she was ecstatic for about 30 seconds after the winner was announced.

"I was jumping up and down with everyone else," Barrow said. "Then it really hit me and I started bawling, boo-hoo, crying for two or three minutes. We worked so hard. And it was such a great moment. I couldn't help myself. The team really deserves a lot of credit. They improved so much from last year. They deserved to win."

Bullard said all the girls on the team went crazy.

"We were freaking," she said. "I didn't think it was real. We were all screaming and hugging each other and jumping around. I couldn't believe it. We are the Western Conference champions."

Now it's on to the March 12 and 13 state championships in Tallahassee.

"Look out, Tallahassee, here we come," Parks said. "No telling what might happen."

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451.

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