Wellington Dance and Cheerleaders take their act to the KSHSAA Game Day Spirit Showcase in Topeka
By Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington High School cheerleaders and dancers participated in the Kansas State High School Activities Association Game Day Spirit Showcase in Topeka Friday and Saturday. While neither team reached the finals, both teams got a wealth of experience and hope to do it again in 2024.
Both the WHS cheerleaders and dance teams have entertained fans all season on the football field and pep rallies. You will soon see them at basketball games. So, they decided to participate in the premiere statewide event that was divided by classifications. The dance team placed eighth out of nine teams in Class 4A, while the cheerleaders were eighth out of 15.
The full results can be here for dance and here for the cheerleaders.
2023-24 Wellington High School dance team.
The dance team, which performed on Friday, is under the direction of Loryn Zoglmann. The group consists of Gabrielle Cramer, Whitney Zeka, Kate Haines, Maggie Dry, Sadie Camblin, Cameron Gore, Kira Worley, Aleena Rinehart, Pyper Weber, Aspen Hall, Mallory Dry, Natilee Larkin, Baelee Havner and Randee Raschke.
They performed the fight song, a band dance, and a pom-pom performance. There were four judges.
Photo by Eric Rinehart, Sumner Newscow.
The cheerleading team performed on Saturday under the direction of Melody Rinehart and assistant coach Jenny Russell. Members of the squad include Lexi Martin, Caylee Bringer, Tatum Rountree, Blair Daughetry, Madalyn LeValley, MacKenzie Dwyer, Aleena Rinehart, Aubri Rohrer, Ellie Hays, Taylor Earl, Karlie Horsch, Skylynn Robbins, Brooke Schwartz, Carley Hamilton, Olivia Smith, Elli Franke, Abbey Gill, Whitney Zeka, Maggie Dry, Izzy Shimer, and Garret Holdaway ( mascot).
The 2023-24 Wellington High School Cheerleaders.
The cheerleaders performed three routines, and each was 40 seconds. They performed the fight song, a band chant, and then led the crowd. They had stunts, flags, and signs to increase the Gameday performance.
“It was a great experience, allowing us to compete and perform,” Rinehart said. “We competed in 2020 but had to do that virtually because of the pandemic.”
Rinehart said this of the event:
“I thought the girls did very well and looked like they were having genuine fun. That’s all I wanted them to do was to have fun. They looked sharp and confident. They handled a long day and maintained positive attitudes throughout.”
This won’t be the last these two groups will perform competitively.
The dance team will attend the Innovative Dance Classic in Newton in February 2024. The Cheerleaders could go to the Rally in the Valley later this year.
