The cheerleaders hosted their first ever district showcase on Friday, March 7. The De Soto High School and Monticello Trails Middle School squads joined the Mill Valley squad to perform various routines from the season, such as those performed at competition and pep assemblies, as well as individual tumbling and individual stunt groups. Families, faculty and students showed up to support the cheerleaders.

Freshman Julia Kemp was one of those in the audience.

“I really liked watching all the cheerleaders perform,” Kemp said. “I liked seeing all my friends there. The music and energy were great.”

Junior cheerleader Beth Pfister said her favorite routine they performed at the showcase was their competition routine, adding that the team put a lot of work into it.

“My favorite part about the showcase was getting to show the other schools that maybe weren’t at any of the competitions that we competed at what we’ve done and getting to see what other people have done, too,” Pfister said.

The team normally has practices twice a week, and three times a week leading up to pep assemblies and competitions.

“The year has gone so great,” coach Megan Duden said. “The girls have received a lot of awards.”

Freshman cheerleader Sarah Anderson saw the showcase as a way to bring cheer squads across the district together.

“I thought it was a good experience because we were able to show that we can all work together as a district and that we support each other,” Anderson said. “I think it was a success, for sure. All of our stunts turned out well, and the other schools looked really good, too.”

Pfister agreed.

“[The showcase] let us [take away the competitiveness] of the sport and keep it enjoyable for everyone,” Pfister said. “It was good for the teams to bond.”

Sophomore cheerleader Katlyn Seyb reflected on the experience as a positive one.

“I liked getting to see all the other teams and how their performances were different than ours,” Seyb said. “It was nice getting to perform one last time for our family and friends before the season ended.”

Altogether, Anderson thought the squad was able to use the showcase as a way to end the season on a high note.

“It was definitely a good way to wrap up the season,” Anderson said. “We worked so hard throughout the year, and to show it off to our school and our parents was really rewarding.”