2012 Spiritline State Championships

Prescott: Saturday, February 4

One of the most difficult athletic competitions in the state has to be the annual “Spiritline Championships” held in Prescott Valley every year before the state basketball tournament begins.

These young men and women are seen almost every night supporting the various teams in Southern Arizona but not many spectators realize the amount of work that goes into the various routines, stunts and cheers that are on display.

Spiritline teams qualify for state in November with the top 10 squads in each event moving on to finals in early February where the Nogales squad took the overall championship the Coed I Division.

That is more than understandable considering the dramatic display the school put on at half time of the MLK Invitational in McKale Center in January.

Santa Rita took first place in the cheer competition in Coed II. The fact they won a championship is remarkable on its own but the hurdles they had to overcome made the victory even more special for the school, the athletes and the community of Santa Rita.

To start off, long-time Eagles coach Rosa Espinoza had to move to New Mexico last September. Coaches move all the time and that is part of life but that alone was difficult for the members who had worked with Espinoza since they were freshmen.

According to the team, two girls quit the squad in response to the vacancy. A new coach was hired and the team qualified for “stunt” and “cheer” in November. Then, another hurdle was placed in front of them.

Their new coach missed several practices due to personal reasons and then quit during the winter break. In all, the team went without a real practice for about five weeks. Then came relief in special education aide Joelle Maxwell.

The administration had informed the team that the only way they were going to the state competition was if they could find a certified cheer coach and a TUSD employee. What are the odds of that happening?

“I had certification and kept it current,” explained a very appreciative Maxwell. “You never know when you might need it.”

Well, the team at Santa Rita needed it and they needed her immediately since the state competition was only weeks away and the team had not worked on their routines in any official manner since November.

“I knew I had to step in because there were 13 seniors on the team,” Maxwell added. “I couldn’t see them coming this far and not being able to go to state and have everything ruined for them weeks before their competition.”

The “Partner Stunt” consists of one boy, one girl and a spotter and the “Cheer” portion had 19 girls and two boys. Maxwell sought out Espinoza for advice and help to get the team back on track. There was no time for fooling around.

Not only did Espinoza help out, so did her daughter Jenna Espinoza, former Eagles cheer member Kelsi Ryan and Maxwell’s daughters, Jessica and Kaitlyn Simpson.

Jenna Espinoza, a former Santa Rita track and cheer standout, left the University of New Mexico track team for a bit so she could lend a hand. It became an “all hands on deck” situation.

Then disaster struck again. Two more girls quit the team two weeks before the state championships. The routines had to be reworked. But, with dedicated professionals and volunteers, they got it done.

Maxwell described the scene at Prescott in an email: “The AIA announcer even said (and I quote) “I see some coaches on the sidelines crying – that means the state trophy for Coed Division II this year goes to Santa Rita!”

“Santa Rita Varsity Cheer is made up of such an amazing group of kids, ” added Maxwell. “After everything they’ve been through this year, I really wanted them to know that they can achieve anything with the support of those that love them and if they believe in themselves!”

Maxwell has applied for the job on a permanent status. She should be a lock for the position. Imagine taking over a team that had not practiced for five weeks and then guiding them to a state championship only a few weeks later. Had that happened in football or basketball then it might have made national news.

Santa Rita Squad
Alexx Dominguez, Aliya Myers, Alyssa Nelson, Andrea Ramsey, Ashley Kring, Ayriel VonSchert (Captain), Briana Enriquez, Catarina Montez, Crystal Kennedy (Captain), Dominic Montes, Genesis Cordova, Juliana Salazar, Miryea Rodriguez-Romero, Molly Collyer, Olivia Menser, Rachel Fatovich, Rebecca Codoñer, Shanon Minor, Stephen Gilbert (Captain), Veronica Escarcega, Zacarriea Baysinger.

Full Results

ALL-GIRL II DIVISION

Stunt
Sabino: 5th Place

Pom
Salpointe: 2nd Place
Sabino: 3rd Place

Show Cheer
Sabino: 4th Place

Overall
Sabino: 3rd Place

ALL-GIRL III DIVISION

Stunt
Thatcher: 6th Place

Pom
Thatcher: 4th Place
Benson: 10th Place

Show Cheer
Thatcher: 8th Place

Overall
Thatcher: 3rd Place

COED I DIVISION

Stunt
Nogales: 2nd Place
Rincon/UHS: 8th Place
Buena: 9th Place
Desert View: 10th Place

Pom
Nogales: 2nd Place

Cheer
Nogales: 2nd Place
Buena: 8th Place

Overall
Nogales: Champions

COED II DIVISION

Stunt
Santa Rita: 2nd Place
Bisbee: 4th Place
San Miguel: 7th Place

Pom
Bisbee: 8th Place

Cheer
Santa Rita: Champions
Douglas: 6th Place
Bisbee: 8th Place

Overall
Bisbee: 6th Place

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