Bentonville, Springdale Cheer Teams Florida-Bound

As one group of Bentonville students returns from Florida, another prepares to go there.

The Golden Tamers, Bentonville High School’s dance team, competed at the National Dance Team Championship in Orlando, Fla., last weekend. The team of 18 girls was scheduled to come home Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the high school’s cheer team plans to leave for the Sunshine state on Thursday to perform this weekend in the National High School Cheer Championship, also in Orlando.

They’ll be joined there by Springdale High School’s cheer team. Both schools will make their first appearances in that competition.

They’ll get a nice break from this area’s winter weather. While snow and ice have ravaged Northwest Arkansas, Orlando has seen highs in the 80s every day this week.

At A Glance

State Success

Bentonville High School’s dance team has won two state championships, and its cheer team has won three state championships in the last five years. In years they haven’t won state titles, both teams have been runner-ups.

Source: Staff Report

Tracy Kaufman, Bentonville High’s spirit squad coordinator who oversees the dance and cheer teams, said the Florida trips are rewards for a lot of hard work. The dance team had a team grade point average of 3.4, and the cheer team’s was 3.37, Kaufman said.

“They’re good students, and they’ve proven they can manage their grades,” she said.

The trip costs about $1,500 per person. The Bentonville and Springdale teams raised money to pay for the majority of their travel costs.

Bentonville High’s dance team competed in the pom and jazz categories in what was their first trip to nationals. The Golden Tamers finished 16th out of 47 teams in the pom category. They barely missed the cut for finals in the jazz category.

“We were thrilled to death with their finish,” Kaufman said. “It was huge for their first time. That first year you go is so eye-opening for the kids.”

Kaufman was with the dance team, coached by Carolina Adkins, at nationals. She returned to Bentonville on Monday, but she plans to be in Orlando again this weekend with the cheer team.

Bentonville’s cheer team consists of 21 girls and four boys. Two alternates also will travel with them.

They will be one of 15 teams competing in their division. The top nine will advance to the finals. The team’s goal is to make it to finals, Kaufman said.

Jessica Sonnentag, a senior on Bentonville’s cheer team, said the team practices several times a week both during and after school. That’s on top of their performances at football and basketball games.

“Everybody is working hard. There’s nobody who isn’t all in,” Sonnentag said.

Springdale High’s cheer team consists of 29 girls. They will compete in a division different from Bentonville’s.

Elizabeth McCaslin, now in her fifth year as Springdale’s coach, said the team’s talent level is significantly improved since the year she began, when the team had only 18 members.

Like Bentonville, Springdale hopes to make it to the finals.

“Whatever happens after that is icing on the cake,” McCaslin said.

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