Corner Canyon has some new hardware for the trophy case, thanks to both the varsity and junior varsity cheerleading squads.

Both Charger cheer squads took the state 4A title Jan. 31 at Salt Lake Community College.

“Both teams worked hard all year on the routine we presented for the state competition,”  cheer coach Whitney Lunt said. “They put in long hours for months, and their hard work has paid off.”

Corner Canyon qualified for the state competition by winning region in both varsity and junior varsity competition. Regions were held at Corner Canyon Jan. 24.

Although most high school sports fans recognize the cheerleaders as those who help pump up the crowd and motivate the players during high school athletics, members of the cheerleading teams perform their own routines to find the best teams in the state. (Don’t understand previous sentence. Please rewrite.)These competitions began three years ago under the umbrella of Utah Cheer Club Sport, founded in part by Lori Rupp and Kellie Chamberlain.

”Cheerleading is not under the (Utah High School Athletic Association) umbrella but they support most of the UHSAA sports, by providing a spirited atmosphere at games and promoting school spirit,” Rupp said. “Many cheer teams in Utah have a competitive component to their programs, and these schools compete in and out of state at regional and national competitions.” 

Corner Canyon put together a two-and-a-half-minute routine for the state competition which involved tumbling, aerials and other aspects of cheer. 

“We first had to qualify at region, and only a certain amount of teams progress,” Lunt said. “The competition isn’t scored like football or basketball. A panel of judges scores your routine against all other 4A schools.”

The girls didn’t have long to celebrate the state win, as they were off to Orlando, Fla. and the national competition Feb. 7-8. Corner Canyon represented Utah well at the competition, finishing 13th overall in the semi finals and then 17th in the finals.

“We were the first team from Utah since 2004 to make it past the preliminaries and into the finals,” Lunt said. “Davis High School was the last to make it that far.”

Lunt went on to say how proud she was of her girls and the effort they put in this year.

“All the high school athletic teams have an off season,” Lunt said. “We don’t. We are there cheering on all the teams from the fall sports through winter and spring. In addition to all that, we are working on our routine the entire time. The competition is something the girls get to do for themselves. It is their reward for working hard to represent the other sports.”