Competition season is here, and teams are gearing up for their first performances of the season. Before teams can focus on nationals and their dreams of bringing home a set of white satin jackets, they have to go to a regional championship where they compete their new routine against other schools in their area.

While the cheerleaders from Greenup County High School are known for their championship success in Orlando, the 16-time UCA National Champions haven’t always had a winning performance at regionals. 

GET UP⬆️ FOR GREENUP! Greenup had everyone UP and cheering in Large Varsity DII Finals!?? #UCAnationals pic.twitter.com/0n8USKcimU

— UCA (@UCAupdates) February 10, 2019

The last time the Musketeers hit a zero-deduction routine at regionals was in 2014.

“They were one of the most successful and coachable teams GCHS has ever seen,” said GCHS assistant coach Kayla Rucker. “Not a single girl on that team had ever won a National Championship with Greenup and they were determined from the beginning to change that.”

The solid routine at the UCA Bluegrass Championship set the tone for the rest of the Musketeer’s season. The team hit their routine at every competition and went on to win championship titles at KHSSA regionals and state.

Their perfect season wrapped up at the 2015 UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida, where Greenup County hit their routine in Prelims to advance straight to Finals and claim the title of Medium Varsity Dll National Champions. 

“This team was successful because they were goal-driven, always gave 110 percent and always came to practice with positive attitudes.”

“They respected their coaches and would do whatever was asked of them, even if it was something new or outside of their comfort zone,” added Rucker. “They were a group of girls who loved each other on and off the mat. Their love for competitive cheerleading and each other shined through every performance.”

[WATCH] Greenup County's Winning 2015 Routine

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Since that successful season, Greenup County has struggled to get a hit at regionals, but the coaching staff thinks that 2019 will be their year. 

This season, Greenup County Varsity is made up of 27 talented athletes with a solid senior class of six girls.

For the first time since 2008, GCHS will take on the Super Varsity division. The Musketeers have competed in this division three times before, but its division is the only all girl division that Greenup Co. and head coach Candy Berry have never won. 

“We have a great mixture of ages and talent levels this season. This team is driven, and they are currently performing harder skills than any GCHS team before, hoping to start their season off with a hit at regionals."

Greenup County feels prepared to head into their first event of the season due to the number of returners and raw talent on the mat. Only three of the 27 girls are new to competing at the national level.

Another factor that has helped build up the confidence and talent of Greenup County cheer over the past few years was the establishment of a feeder program in the 2016-17 season. Pride Athletics Club Cheer was created three years by a GCHS alumni and the teams compete at NHSCC providing athletes with competition experience from a young age. 

This season, there are 10 former Pride Athletics athletes on the current GCHS Varsity team.

Greenup County has been building their new routine for months leading up to their first competition of the season, setting small goals along the way to help build their confidence and consistency.

In preparation, the team as held multiple alumni practices to get the girls comfortable with performing. 

“Each practice there has been a new set of 'judges' that use the score sheet and score them and give them feedback,” Rucker said. “They do three full outs a practice and each practice they’re getting better and better. 

On top of practices, the team has added weekly weightlifting workouts to their schedule and they’ve already seen major benefits from this in their skills and stunts.

“We have also strived for consistency before regionals by not changing groups or skills that were placed in the routine, even if one group or skill may have an off day every now and then,” added Rucker.

Greenup County’s new routine is filled with skills that the program has never competed before.

“Our athletes are loving the newly legal inverts and from day one of working on them they have been growing in their success of mastering these skills.”

2019 was the first year in GCHS history that their routine featured standing fulls, and Rucker told Varsity TV that we can expect to see a few more on the mat this season.

“We are excited to see how this routine comes together and progresses over the year,” added Rucker. “And as far as big surprises… our pyramid has an original and exciting start to it and we can’t wait to show it off.”

Greenup County’s goal for the 2019-20 season is to always do their best and to never make excuses as to why something wasn’t the way they wanted it to be. 

“We would love a hit for regionals and are hoping for one, but our main goal heading into regionals is for our girls to do their personal best and to be better than they were the day before.”