Posted on: Saturday, March 15, 2003

State's top cheerleading squads to strut their stuff

Advertiser Staff

Hawai 'i — one of just 22 states that have sanctioned state high school cheerleading championships — will show off its best pep squads in competition today at Stan Sheriff Center.

The second annual Local Motion State Cheerleading Championships will start at 4 p.m. with 18 teams that qualified through league championships competing in medium (11 members or fewer) and large (12 to 18 members) categories.

Last year's champions have switched categories.

Large-squad winner 'Aiea has slimmed down to the medium category and 2002 medium-category winner Kamehameha has bulked up to the large category.

Kamehameha is favored again after winning the Small Varsity Division of the National High School Cheerleading Championship on Feb. 9 in Orlando, Fla.

Other schools with teams of 11 or fewer in the medium category are Kailua, Kaimuki, Moanalua and Waipahu of the O'ahu Interscholastic Association; Punahou of the Interscholastic League of Honolulu, Maui, Kaua'i and Hilo.

Going against Kamehameha in the large squad category are Kapolei, Mililani, Pearl City and Radford of the OIA, Iolani of the ILH, Baldwin from Maui and St. Joseph and Waiakea from the Big Island.

Each team will have 2 minutes, 30 seconds of performance time. They must not exceed 1:30 of music and must have a minimum of 35 seconds of cheering or chanting.

At Orlando, Kamehameha's 12-member team won the crowd and judges with its 2-minute, 12-second routine that included aerial stunts and several tumbling sequences.

The event is expected to end about 6:30 p.m.

Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for students in grades 12 and under.

Parking in the UH lower campus structure costs $3.