The Pattonville cheerleaders went to Lindenwood University to compete at the state championships on Dec. 1. The Pirates finished in 6th place in the 5A Small Division field.

Makayla Harden earned all-state honors at the competition. Cheerleaders must be selected by their coaches and have to meet other requirements by judges to earn recognition.

The cheerleading squad and Harden will next compete at the NCA Nationals in Dallas on Jan. 26-27.

How did your team prepare for this competition?

“We had our Regionals competition on Nov. 10-11 and we scored 2^nd place and that determined how much we needed to work on for state. We had practice after practice and just continued to work hard and do multiple full outs at practice. We added weekend practices to make sure we had all of the skills and techniques we needed for state.”

How did you feel about your performance after you did it?

“I felt pretty good and confident because our routine hit! When they started to announce the scores and who got what place and they called out our name, we were very excited for what place we got because we worked hard. Now we have to work even harder for Nationals. The grind don’t stop!”

How does it feel that in your last year of cheerleading you will be going to compete at Nationals?

“I feel really good because I never actually got to experience what Nationals is and I always wanted to go. I am very proud of our team for working hard to qualify for nationals and hope we place good.”

Out of your 4 years of cheerleading, what was your favorite part?

“My favorite part was making captain because I’ve always wanted to be a captain. Also, my favorite part is me working my butt off all of these years, and I made All-State. That is a big thing for me and I am very proud of myself.”

The cheerleaders go to Dallas for Nationals on Jan. 26-27.