Spirit Squads Newsletter 2016 August/September Edition Spirit Coordinator's Message I hope that everyone has had a wonderful summer break and is off to a great start for the 2016-17 school year. These athletes work hard year round for their schools, teams, and themselves. This year we have over 250 athletes in the spirit programs across the district. We are excited about the opportunities they have already shared with our community and the many more that are to come. All of the teams worked so hard this summer at cheer and dance camps across the state. Please click this link to view all of their accomplishments...Summer Camp Follow- up OSSAA HS Cheer Regionals and State Summary… It was a successful year for Moore Schools. All three teams participated in a district showing at Moore High School on Wednesday, September 14th in preparation for Regionals. There was a great turn out and support from the district. There were 7 additional teams that came to the performance from across the state. Thanks to all of the JH teams and coaches for helping us out. Regionals was held on Saturday, September 17th at MidWest City High School. Moore & Westmoore High Schools competed in the coed division. Westmoore finished in the runner-up position and both Westmoore & Moore High qualified for state. Southmoore competed in the 6A category finishing 5th. OSSAA State was held in Stillwater, Oklahoma at Oklahoma State University. There were 93 teams in this year’s competition. These teams contained over 1860 student athletes between the 7 total classes. The teams weren’t the only ones to show up in force. There were over 15,000 spectators at OSU to watch the competition this year. In the Coed division, there were 9 teams qualifying for state. The competition was tough this year and Westmoore finished in the 5th place position while Moore High finished 7th. Great job to all of the student athletes and a special thanks to all of the fans that came out to support them. Watch the OSSAA State video The Work is Worth It in Moore, Oklahoma By… Angela Dudley, Southridge Junior High Oh, the lazy days of summer. For many this means staying up late, sleeping in, traveling, swimming, etc.; however, for cheer and pom athletes the summer is where their season truly begins. These athletes spend the first part of their summer preparing for camp. They work on new skills and learn camp routines as well as attend camp. While at camp, they fine tune skills and learn new ones that challenge them to go to the next level. After a short break they are back in their gyms for the second part of summer. This time is spent working on sideline performances, state routines, and preparing for Nationals. These athletes are constantly working in the summer so that they can give their all during performances on and off the sidelines. Ultimately, they and their coaches know that the work is worth it. Moore Spirit Upcoming Events October 1st – Southmoore High School Pom Kids Clinic October 7th – Southmoore Pom tailgate @MHS Patio October 25th – SHS Pom – Sabercat King @SHS Auditorium October 29th – Pancake breakfast at Southridge JH November 5th – Paint it Pretty Fundraiser – Southridge JH November 17th – SHS Pom – Kendra Scott Trunk Show Read more on our website High School Pom Updates… All three pom teams started off the year with great success. Showing off their hip hop styles at the High School games, assemblies, and events has been fun for all three teams. Now they are hitting it hard with choreography and skills practices to prepare for the Pom State Championship in December. They have hard days ahead with state and nationals just around the corner. Let them know you are behind them in their quest for championship runs this year. Good luck to all and we will keep you updated as showings and competition season nears. August/September Spirit Leaders Each month the district likes to introduce and honor athletes and coaches for representing Moore Public Schools and our community with the highest integrity and commitment. These representatives go above and beyond the call of duty to do their jobs and do them with honor. We are thankful to have them in our programs and are pleased with the outstanding jobs they do daily. The demands of the athletes and coaches are continuous. These programs represent the community and their schools year round. Their hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed. Please take the time to look over their accomplishments and join me in honoring the following representatives for August and September. Feature High School Cheer Coach Spotlight Bailey Parker is the Head Cheer Coach at Moore High School. She coaches the largest team in the district with 20 on Varsity and 20 on the JV team. This is Mrs Parkers first year in Moore Schools and she is making herself at home. The entire staff at Moore High is new this year and are working together to bring the teams to new heights. We are thankful to have Bailey join our spirit family. Feature High School Pom Coach Spotlight Ladawna Hunter, head pom coach at Southmoore High School, has had the opportunity to be a part of this amazing program since 2008 when Southmoore opened its doors. She has served as both assistant and head coach of the Pom program. Currently, she teach Pre-AP English II and her husband Dewayne is Southmoore's AD. Ladawna has two daughters, Madison and Makayla, who are both Southmoore High School Graduates. They are truly a SaberCat family. She looks forward to the new school year and cheering on the SaberCats! Feature Junior High Coach Spotlight Angela Dudley is the coach at Southridge Junior High. This will be Angela's 13th year teaching with Moore Public Schools. She spent her first 11 years teaching English at Brink Jr. High before moving to Southridge. This is her second year of coaching Southridge Cheer. While at Brink, she sponsored Student Council. Angela goes the extra mile every time and a true blessing to have in the program. Moore High School Pom Spotlight Athlete Mattie Hogue is a senior caption on the varsity pom squad. She has been on the MHS team all four years. She is a member of FUSE, STUCO, Key Club, NHS, and the JUNGLE. She is left-handed, was born on Christmas Eve, and loves scary movies. Mattie is a great leader and role model for the younger girls on the squad. The team wouldn’t be the same without her. Moore High School JV Cheer Spotlight Athlete Emily Leonhardt is a senior at Moore High School. She is the varsity captain on the cheer squad. Emily’s greatest accomplishment was being on the 2015 NCA national championship squad. Her favorite memories come from the times she laughs and has fun with her squad. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her sister who she says is “very pretty.” Emily’s future plans including attending college at Oklahoma Baptist University. Emily is an amazing leader on the squad. Her spirit is an awesome addition that will be greatly missed next year. Moore High School JV Cheer Spotlight Athlete Destiney Shaw is a junior on the Moore High School JV cheer squad. Her greatest accomplishment, so far, is being able to cheer on the state squad. Her favorite memory comes from summer camp. She enjoyed being able to spend quality time with the athletes on her squad. In her free time, Destiny enjoys watching YouTube videos. Her favorite YouTuber is Pewdiepie. He is a videogame vlogger. Her future cheer plans include learning to land her back tuck. Destiny’s heart shows in everything she does. The team gains a lot of spirit from her. Central Junior High Cheer Spotlight Athlete Bethany is an 8th grader at Central Jr High. This is her first year to cheer at CJH. She is also in the band, and is currently taking 4 Pre-Ap classes. Bethany is an amazing tumbler and she has great leadership skills. This summer at camp, Bethany was selected as an All-American! She was active in gymnastics for 5 years, and this is her first year to do cheer. In her spare time, Bethany likes listening to music, catching up/binge watching her favorite tv shows, talking to friends, and napping. Highland East Junior High Spotlight Athlete This is Briley’s second year to cheer for HEJH. Briley is an amazing and powerful tumbler. She picks up on routines and passes very quickly. Briley always shows up to practices, games and competitions ready to give it her all. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and although I will miss her, I look forward to seeing her cheer at the high school next year. Some of Briley’s favorite things to do are tumbling, hanging out with friends and tubing at the lake. Southmoore High School Cheer Spotlight Athlete Mehgan Schnell has been cheering for Southmoore all 4 years. She loves art and is a member of the art club. She was born on 9/11, is a super happy person, and is obsessed with pigs and giraffes! Mehgan is a great leader and mentor for Southmoore cheer. Southmoore High School Pom Spotlight Athlete Jessica started dancing at Applause Studios when she was just two years old. She takes a variety of classes. She’s done many competitions and conventions over the years and likes learning new choreography. She likes to draw, loves cats and loves hanging out with her friends, talking on the phone, and watching old episodes of Vampire Diaries on her phone.