Snyder spirit teams to compete in inaugural state championships

Next week, Snyder High School will participate in a first-of-its-kind competition.
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) established a high school spirit competition, combining skills from dance and cheerleading. The first UIL spirit state championship competition will be held Wednesday through Saturday at the University of Texas, Arlington.
Snyder’s Gold Line dance team coach Sarah Parmer and Snyder High School’s cheer sponsor Krisi Early were at a cheerleading convention in May when they heard about the idea for the competition.
Last fall, Parmer and Early chose students from their respective dance and cheer squads to try out for the team. The final auditions were held on the last day before winter break.
The team consists of 17 girls, from freshmen to seniors, each of whom has experience on either the cheer squad or dance team.
Early said the spirit competition combines cheer and dance and early practices were tough for team members.
“It’s been funny because Sarah will say a dance term and one of our cheer girls will raise her hand and ask, ‘what’s that mean?’” Early said. “It’s been an adjustment because dance movements are so fluid, while cheering is so much about precision and sharp body movements. We’ve had to teach our cheer girls to be a little more fluid and our dance girls to be more precise.”
Early and Parmer have been aided by Stars R Us cheer studio owner Neika Porter, who has been coaching cheer for almost 23 years. Porter helped with most of the choreography and said her job has been made easier by the chemistry she has with Parmer and Early.
“We get along well,” Porter said. “It’s a team effort and everybody has the same goals.”
Porter’s help with the choreography has been especially appreciated by Parmer, who has been in an arm sling after a shoulder injury she suffered last fall. Parmer still instructs the squad members on how to do the routines, though she is sometimes limited in what she is able to demonstrate.
“It’s been interesting for both me and the girls,” Parmer said. “I do my best to show them what it should look like, but they have had to listen really hard because I can’t always communicate with my arms what it is supposed to look like.”
The team practiced several times during the winter break, and has been practicing twice a day since school resumed. Both Early and Parmer said it took time for the girls to jell, but said they have become a true team.
“They have been so pleasant to work with,” Early said. “What’s great is we have girls from all walks of life. When we get here (in the gym), they’re always having fun and giggling.”
The UIL spirit competition will feature teams from each of the state’s six athletic classifications.
Snyder will compete on Thursday in Class 4A, against 67 other schools.
The competition will differ from other cheer and dance competitions because of its restrictions on the types of moves and stunts allowed.
Parmer said she expects the competition to be an exciting experience for everyone, and said she is proud of the team for coming together in such a short amount of time.
“These students have worked just as hard as anybody from any other sport or other activity,” Parmer said. “The UIL has competitions for everything else, and now they’re recognizing spirit as something worth recognizing.”