Photo – Caroline Parker
JEFFERSON — The Buford Middle School competition cheer squad has had a remarkable season and they were able to end their season with the highest award in the land, that of State Champion. The team traveled to compete in the State Middle School Competition Cheerleading Championships held at Jefferson High School on November 2.
BMS has had a competition cheer team in the past but did not have one for a while until it was brought back last year. In only their second year, this team which could be described as the “dream team” consistently beat out their competition all season long.
The 27-member strong squad coached by Caroline Parker began practicing in May and competed in their first competition in early September at North Gwinnett High School where they earned the top spot. Two weeks later, the team took first at Mill Creek. The very next week the girls made it a three-peat when they took top honors at their home meet at Buford High School. Their last regular-season competition was in mid-October at South Forsyth High School where the BMS Comp Cheer team placed second.
At the State Middle School Championships, Buford Middle competed in the large category (teams with more than 16 members on the mat) against a lot of talented teams from all over Georgia. The team came into the competition with a clear goal in mind.
“Our team goal, beginning in May, was to place at state (meaning top-three). The girls competed in the Middle School State Competition last year and placed fourth, so they had their eyes set on placing top three,” Coach Caroline Parker said. “That was our motivation this year, and with the leadership of the eighth-graders, the team worked extremely hard all season long and was able to take the top spot at the state competition.”
The BMS team knew they performed well during the competition on Saturday but due to the high level of talented teams, they were unsure of where they would place. They anxiously waited to hear their name called. Buford had beat out all the other squads including second-place Creekview and third-place Savannah Christian.
It was through hard work and an unbreakable bond that made them the “dream team” of 2019. Coach Parker reflected on the season saying, “Though we were absolutely thrilled to have earned first place at the state competition, the girls had created such a tight bond and were so upset that the season came to an end! Overall, it was a truly remarkable season and first-place in the state competition was the icing on the cake!”
— By Alicia Couch Payne
