Every year since 2008, the competitive cheerleading team from the King’s Academy has concluded its season in Lakeland at the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) Class 1A competitive cheerleading state championships. This year was no exception. On Friday, Jan. 31, the competitive cheerleading team from TKA took the floor at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland for its 150-second routine. This squad had been practicing and rehearsing this two-and-a-half-minute routine for many months.
“This team of 18 has been practicing together since October to perfect and execute the difficulty in our routine,” said Christina Reickel, the head coach of TKA’s competitive cheerleading team.
As a team, they competed in the Small Co-Ed division. On the actual day of the competition, their warm-up time was 12:44 p.m. The group’s performance time was 1:07 p.m. By 1:10 p.m., the season had come to an end.
We finished in fourth place in a steep division,” Reickel said.
The 18 cheer athletes on the squad are: Beckett Rash, Sophia Bretti, Sophia Cook, Sophia Sanchez, Taylor Glass, Sydney Fischer, Emarie Thiabut, Cali Reickel, Schaffer Hornsby, Capri Rankin, Quin Rankin, Sarah Soares, Greta Grossmann, T’nesha Baker, Tabitha Marion, Claire Crews, Ady Lansat and Evie Branham.
The team has 17 girls and one boy. According to Reickel, the one boy on the team plays a big role during competition.
“We have one boy, and his name is Beckett Rash,” Rieckel said. “He is a 10th grader and has been cheering since eighth grade. We have really seen him grow this year with his ability to co-ed stunt, and without him, we wouldn’t be in this competitive division. Not only is he strong, but he can tumble and throws one of three fulls in our routine.”
To earn its spot in the FHSAA state finals, the cheer squad had to put together a strong performance on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Coral Glades High School in Coral Springs, which was the site of the regional meet. “Our team placed third at regionals,” Rieckel added. “We were the one team in our division to make it to the state finals.”
Time will tell if the competitive cheerleading team from TKA will be good enough to earn another trip to Lakeland in 2026 to compete in next year’s state championships. While nothing is guaranteed, chances are strong that the squad will advance to Lakeland yet again for another chance to win the state cheer title.
#Kings #Academy #Cheer #Team #Strong #Showing #States
Leave a Reply