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Both
Tri-Village and the Arcanum cheerleading squads qualified for the
upcoming state competition
in January. The Arcanum team will not be
attending the competition but Trojan advisor Cherie Goubeaux
said her
girls are rooting for the Patriots. Above: Tri-Village. Below: Arcanum.
CNO photos by
Danny Stockton, stocktonstudios.com
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Tri-Village; A
force to be reckoned with
Patriots cheerleaders ready for state
By George Starks
NEW MADISON- Recently in a regional cheer competition held at
Tri-Village, two teams came out of the competition qualifying for the
state tournament to be held in January.
Tri-Village and Arcanum emerged from the local competition as the best
but only the Patriots will be making the trip.
Arcanum will not be competing in the statewide competition for reasons
undisclosed by Trojans advisor, Cherie Goubeaux.
The Patriots will be making the journey and the goal is to win it all.
“We’ve worked hard on the state routine,” said veteran advisor Darlene
Ary, now in her 10th year as the Patriots leader. “Tri-Village will be
a force to be reckoned with.”
The date for the big competition is set for Sunday, January 13 and will
be held at Columbus Worthington-Kilbourne High School.
“This is what we’ve worked so hard for,” said Patriots senior
co-captain Shelby Schepis. “To actually be able to represent our school
at state is an honor and it’s very exciting. We’ve spent a lot of hours
in the gym working on this. We are in the gym every day and our work
has paid off. We are still working on our routine and we know there’s
always room for improvement. We are never happy because we know we can
be better. Every time we take that floor, we want to score higher and
do better than the time before. We know when we go to state we are
going up against the best of the best so we have to be right there.
This is not just a trip to state but we are going to represent
Tri-Village as being the absolute best.”
Winning several past competitions including the Darke County Fair and
at Arcanum as well as the regional competition at Tri-Village, the
Patriots will be competing again tomorrow at Arcanum.
“We are doing the same routine that we will be doing at state,” said
Schepis. “
Being at the helm of the cheer program since 2003, Ary has put a lot of
responsibilities on the shoulders of her girls.
“She can be tough but she has rules,” Schepis said. “She makes us act
like ladies in public because there are a lot of people watching us. We
are a reflection on her and the school and we want to be seen by others
in a positive manner so she wants us to set a good example at all
times. We are to set a good example for the underclassmen because they
are the future of the school and they represent not only the school but
the community.”
Ary reflected on the words of Schepis.
“It’s an honor to coach these girls,” said Ary. “My two seniors
(Schepis and Sara Bowman) I’ve had since they were in the seventh
grade. I’ve worked with them, teaching them the fundamentals from the
beginning. Now they are doing some of the most advanced routines that
I’ve ever done in all my years of coaching. The routine they are doing
this year is the most physically demanding routine I’ve done as a coach
put into a three-minute routine. Compared to what it was when I started
coaching. Its mind blowing what goes in to that three minutes. These
kids know this is a physically demanding routine. I would put these two
seniors up against anyone out there. They set a good example to the
rest of the team.”
The Patriots will leave Saturday, January 12, for the trip to
Worthington.
Ary said it will be an early rise for the girls and it will be a full
day.
The competition will be conducted as if it were a final four
competition so the girls from Tri-Village will be put to the test.
“This is our first time going to state,” said Ary. “We have to be at
our very best the second we step onto the floor when we arrive.”
With the best of Ohio being represented, Schepis said the team can only
see it in one aspect.
“We have to treat this like it was any other competition,” Schepis
pointed out. “If we are nervous, we have to throw it off when we step
on the mat.”
Ary said in conclusion that this would be an experience like no other
for her girls and it would be a memory that would last a lifetime.
Ary also wanted to thank the staff of the school starting with school
superintendent Tony Thomas.
"The staff of this school has really supported the girls and they
appreciate everything the staff has done for them,” Ary pointed out.
“We are also looking forward to the upcoming basketball season. The
girls really support the team just like the boys basketball team has
shown support for them.”
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Arcanum
Cheerleading Squad
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