Every year, Manhattan High Varsity cheer team goes to Dodge City with the boys Varsity basketball team for Tournament of Champions. Not only do they cheer it up for the boys at each game, they are there for a competition of their own. It was a weekend of nonstop action for the cheerleaders.

Prior to leaving, the team learned three new dances and a new stunt sequence on top of learning their dance for the upcoming Pep Rally.

Thursday, they immediately unloaded and went to cheer at the MHS vs Hays game. After the game, they went to a practice that Leavenworth, Dodge, Maize, Wichita East and Wichita Heights squads attended to go over the group performance for Friday.

Friday morning, the cheer team went to a local elementary school with Wichita Heights basketball team to read and participate in a Physical Education class with the kids.

“It was a great experience for everyone involved,” senior Kaitlyn French said. “The kids were so happy to see us and loved asking questions, they even drew us all pictures.”

After spending time with elementary kids, they went to cheer at the MHS vs Leavenworth game. After the game, the squad stayed at the arena, to begin the cheer competition. The opening to the competition was a dance that all squads were in.

“It was really cool to see each team perform the dances but in different ways,” French said. “There were ripples throughout the dances and seeing those applied to each team really pulled the whole dance together.”

Each squad performed their own dance after the group dance concluded. The MHS cheer team performed with heart.

“It was great our squad hit everything [stunts] and our coaches were literally jumping up and down with excitement,” sophomore Denae Stokes said.

The end of the competition was closed with a performance that all squads participated in. Following that, coaches from each team talked together to decide awards. There wasn’t a team that won over the other ones. In the Tournament of Champions, awards are given out to individuals not a specific squad.

“It was a joint collaboration. Individuals were chosen for the all-tournament squad,” MHS cheer coach Maddie Tenbrink said.

Stokes and senior Raegan Wilcoxson were chosen for all-tournament squad.

The cheering and non-stop action did not end there though. Afterward, all squads and basketball teams attended a Fellowship of Christian Athletes event with an illusionist and motivational speaker. People in the audience participated in the illusion.

“It was so much fun and very entertaining,” Stokes said.

Saturday morning, the team got ready to cheer at the boys’ final game against Wichita East. The award ceremony for the cheer competition happened before the championship game, but because MHS did not advance to that game, the girls did not stay to witness it. The weekend of cheer was exhausting for the girls, but it had been exciting and full of experiences.

“We all worked really hard,” French said. “And it definitely was worth it.”