Competitive cheerleading is no joke.
Although it is sometimes thought of as nothing more than a few girls shaking their pom-poms and chanting fight songs, cheerleading requires an incredible amount of athletic ability and coordination.
For one team of talented cheerleaders, their hard work and dedication led them all the way to the South Carolina High School League Cheerleading Championship at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
When the Lexington High School cheerleaders ran out onto the mat to perform their state championship routine, it was nothing but high energy and plenty of cheers from the crowd.
The girls wave and jump and find their positions, preparing themselves for their big moment.
As all of the cheerleaders find their spots, they can be seen hugging and slapping hands with the girl that is next to them.
Each girl has her job to do, and if they can all complete their job, then their routine should work out flawlessly.
The girls get set in their position and the music starts to play.
Immediately, the girls are rolling around the mat and jumping and flipping in unison.
Anyone watching can see that these girls have been working on this routine for a while now.
With their first part of the routine out of the way, the cheerleaders move into the first of their many technical stunts.
This one involves the girls lining up into six different groups, with one girl in each group ready to be lifted into the air.
The first group in the line lifts up their flyer and sends her spinning in a circle.
The entire group moves in a circle with her as she is raised into the air and holds her foot next to her head.
Each girl in the other five groups is shot up into the air, one after the other, until all six are standing in the hands of their group, legs up in the air.
The girls were then continually dropped down and pushed back up, each time moving their bodies into a different pose.
Finally, the girls are dropped and spun into the waiting arms of their fellow cheerleaders as they move onto the next part of their routine.
The girls spread the floor and begin doing flips all over the mat.
There is a clear organization to their timing, but the visual effect is pretty stunning.
It seems as though there are cheerleaders flying through the air all over the place.
The girls then proceed to group up again and promptly toss their flyers into the air.
The flyers spin and twist and land safely back in the arms of their teammates.
Once everyone is back on the ground, the girls set up for their grand finale.
The cheerleaders group up in the middle of the mat and start tossing girls into the air.
They are caught and held, and the group builds a human tower.
After holding their tower position for a bit, they all drop down and dance out the final part of their routine.
The music ends and the girls collapse in joy and hug as they soak in the satisfaction of flawlessly completing their goal for the year.
Check out the video below to watch the entire routine and be sure to share it with a friend!
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