Newkirk earns state title ‘Three-peat’
THE NEWKIRK TIGER cheer team won the Small School Coed Cheer state championship in competition Saturday at Tulsa Union High School. Team members include, front row, Dawson Guidry; second row from left, Dayton Godfrey, Kaylee Willett, Macee Robinson, Karissa Young, Megan Goddard, Wyatt Stone; third row, Matthew Mayse, Addison Ascher, Bailee Schneeberger, Laney Richardson, Samantha O’Brien, Tinley Anderson; Javier Perez; fourth row, Josiah Owen, Jaymee Willett, Alyssa Jobbs, Bailey Wever, Raylee Gardner, William Mott; fifth row, Timothy Mayse, Braylie WIlliams, Marissa Chace, Ensley Knight, Isaiah Stephens; sixth row, Head Coach Kim Wilson, Assistant Coach Baylie Wilson, Laithan Knight, Assistant Coach Tyler Coker.
TULSA -- The Newkirk Tiger cheer team won its third consecutive state championship Saturday in competition at Tulsa Union High School. It was the sixth state cheer title in school history.
Competing in the Small School Coed Cheer classification, Newkirk scored 250 points to outdo second place Harrah, which finished with 230.5 points. Finishing third was Bridge Creek with 218.5, fourth was Sperry with 217 and fifth was Little Axe with 196.
Newkirk accomplished the feat despite having one team member out of action due to being quarantined.
Coach Kim Wilson noted that the team had to change its routine during the week preceding state competition due to the loss of the quarantining member.
“The kids have put in a lot of work during the last eight months,’ Wilson said. “Not only did we beat the competition, but we kicked COVID’s butt.”
State competition is normally held in September, but was put off this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. It is anticipated that the next school year’s event will return to a fall schedule.
The Tigers had challenges other than COVID-19 to contend with this year.
“There was a lot of pressure on the kids,” Wilson said. “There was the talk of a ‘three-peat’ but only four of the 25-member team had ever competed before. They handled the pressure extremely well and exceeded expectations.”
Newkirk’s is a coed team and Wilson always has members of her team also play other sports, such as football and basketball. While the team cheers at Newkirk Tiger games, obviously with some playing in a sport, a full team is rarely available for the contests. Wilson said her teams normally practice during summer months and then work around other school-year sports. Because the state competition was moved from September to January things were considerably different this year.
The state competition involves a two-minute routine incorporating jumps, stunts, tumbling, motion technique and crowd involvement, Wilson said..
Newkirk’s team has been coed since 1997, which was the first year the Tigers won the state title. Other state championships were in 2007, 2009, 2018, 2019 and this year (2020/2021). Wilson coached each of the state championship teams.
“I want to thank the fans who were there (at Tulsa Union) and who watched virtually,” she said.
Other state champions crowned Saturday were Edmond North, Class 6A; Tuttle, Class 5A; Crossings Christian, Class 4A; Washington, Class 3A; Hinton, Class 2A; and Owasso, Large School Coed.
In addition to having won six state championships, Newkirk cheer teams have been runners-up three times, won 10 regional championships, have had 22 state qualifying teams, have had 31 All-Region cheerleaders; have had eight All-State Cheerleaders (Eddy Loughridge, Caleb Sherron, Colton Leaming, Nick Green, Kenny Thomas, Garret Swopes, Coby Hutson and Kiley Mills); five academic All-Staters (Melody Holifield, Meaghan Boyer, Jessica Hensley, Sarah Lusk and Brooklynn Krenn); and had 87 members receive college cheer scholarships.