February 8, 2010
click here to watch the 2nd place performance and announcement
performance: 3 minute mark
2nd place finish/medal ceremony: 1:59 mark
click here to see state final scores
click here to see preliminary round scores
TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN VARSITY CHEERLEADERS TAKE 2ND IN STATE!
Best Finish in Cheer Team History Caps Amazing Year
With a near-perfect Saturday morning performance, the varsity Cheerleading team of Timothy Christian earned a 2nd place finish in the IHSA small team division.
With a final team score of 87.40, the Trojans outperformed 8 of the final 10 schools in the IHSA small team division. The first team to perform, the Trojans had to wait through 19 other performances before they could claim their prize and their spot in school history. The 2nd place team trophy is the 12th state trophy in the history of Timothy Christian High School Athletics, and the 1st in the history of the Cheerleading program.
Congratulations to all participants, team members, coaches Cheryl Jokich and Aaron Armstrong on an amazing season and on this tremendous accomplishment!
State Tournament Weekend Summary From Coach Cheryl Jokich
"This weekend was a dream come true, especially for our seniors who made it to IHSA State Preliminaries twice before, but never made it to the Final Round. With prayers and cheers, the cheerleaders boarded the vans for the US Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington with high hopes and expectations and a lot of nervous excitement!
Our team was the second Small Varsity team to perform Friday morning, so they convinced themselves it was best to not psyche themselves out waiting around all day to perform. The team had an inspiring praise and worship time Thursday evening focused on giving Thanksgiving and Praise for ALL THINGS, not just those that were prayed for, followed by the team singing "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord", "Sanctuary", and "Stand".
The tension was palpable the next morning as the team headed to the Colliseum. The warm-up went well, but when they stepped onto the mat, a few stunts that were normally solid as a rock, faltered and wobbled a bit. The team's disappointment was hard to disguise as they finished the routine. The door was now open to anyone who executed a perfect routine and the team had four hours to wait and watch to know their fate. Thankfully, the first team announced was Timothy Christian! The cheerleaders had one last opportunity to prove their skill, but no matter what, this was the first time in Timothy Christian history that a Varsity Cheerleading Team had made it into the Final Round at the State series.
The worship time Friday night calmed the team, especially the soulful rendition of Jesus Loves Me sung by Aaron Armstrong. The mood of the team as they entered the Colliseum Saturday morning was overjoyed and excited! They went onto the mat focused on "giving" and not thinking about "getting" anything in return.
Their performance was electric and the team was ecstatic knowing they had performed to the best of their ability when it counted most. Timothy's name announced as 2nd in State was surreal and a perfect end to four years of cheerleading for our dedicated and talented seniors! GO TROJANS!!!"
Scheduled Celebration
The Cheerleading team will be recognized as part of the homecoming pep rally on Tuesday, February 9th at 2:15.
Related Press
Roster
Team members on the 2010 cheerleading team include:
Competition Roster: Ava Jokich - captain Niki Pizzello - captain Lauren Szandzik - captain Brittany Buikema, Anita Buiter, Alli Vanderveld, Ashley Barak, Joanna Fuka, Liz Garza, Lexie McCahey, Brooke Tobin, Rachel Langkamp, Ashley Vlasak, Makenzie Vos, Bridgitt Buikema, and Austin Moore
Varsity Cheerleading Team: Greg Vaughn, Emily Vanzeelt, Tessa Brandsma, Sidney Peard, Anna Saidak, Emily Ambrose, Anna Barclay, and Morgan DeVries
A Fitting Excerpt From the Team's Cheer
"The Trojans won't stop, nothing less than a 10
Our time is now cause we came to win
Just like before our goals have been set
This time it's different cause now they'll be met
We're shaking things up and settling a score
Champs ...we are ...cause this is our floor"
