Varsity cheer earned eighth place at the State cheerleading competition on Saturday, February 1 in Bloomington, Illinois. The competition took place over a two-day period and consisted of 25 teams in LZHS’s division.

            The top ten teams from each division from Friday advanced to the second and final day of competition. LZHS was in the large varsity division.

            “[State is] a great experience. The goal all along is to get to day two, so [Friday] we wanted to get through. We got through [Friday]. We just wanted to do a better performance [Saturday]. I think the girls did a great job. They peaked at the right time, they hit a clean routine,” Pam Bonnevier, head coach, said. “This is a tough competition and I couldn’t have told you who was going to win at the end of the day, so we did a good job.”

            Megan Robin, senior, says she also believes the team performed well at State.

            “I think we hit a really good routine. As far as the season goes, it was one of our best. I mean, I wish we could have been a top three team, but I’m still proud of our team. We had a lot of freshmen on the team, and they definitely stepped up their game this year and definitely became part of the Lake Zurich family. We got the job done,” Robin said.

            Marissa Wayne, senior, says the team did everything they could have and is also proud of their performance.

            “We accomplished our goal of hitting a clean routine, and we made it to finals. There’s nothing else we could have done,” Wayne said. “It’s in the judges’ hands after we competed. Everybody did what they were supposed to do.”

            Bonnevier believes that an vital part of the state experience was the fans who came down to support the team.

            “We had a great fan base here today. It was great to have so many fans out here to support us,” Bonnevier said. “All season long we had great fan support from the students and the parents at every competition, really spectacular support.”