The Civic Memorial cheer team had a great season this year! From big moments and new experiences both on and off the mat, the year turned out to be a huge success. The seniors leaving the 2023-2024 season are Lela Haskins, Charly Ballanca, and Chloe Maberry.
The team competed in four regional competitions, and even took home a win at their Edwardsville competition. They had a great regional season, as they took home first and hit zero at most of the competitions.
On December 9th the team competed at Highland High School, which is where they ended up getting third and qualifying for ICCA state. The group headed for the BOS Center in Springfield Illinois on January 6th, which is where they competed their first state of the season. At ICCA the team took home first place, an accomplishment that has not been done since 2007. They received a trophy and medals to commemorate the win.
Sectionals were held in Mt. Vernon on January 27th, and they went home once again with 1st place. This was a big accomplishment for the team because it was not only the first time they had qualified for IHSA state since 2019, but it was the first time they had won sectionals since 2009.
IHSA state was held in the Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday, February 1st, and it marked the end of a very successful season for the team. The team was in a very stacked division, and had worked all season to get to the event. Most of the teams they were against were from the greater Chicago area, so it was a huge deal that they were able to represent southern Illinois.
The cheer team had a very competitive and successful season this year. When asked about next year, sophomore Averie Huebner said, “I’m excited to continue the success of this season onto the next season, and see just how much farther and more successful we can become.” The school is very proud of the cheer team and all they have accomplished this year. GO EAGLES!