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44 | May 4, 2017 | The Homer Horizon sports
homerhorizon.com
Stallions Elite squad takes second place at IRCA’s Cheer Madness tournament
Team formed in
January jells quickly
Erin Redmond, Assistant Editor
The Homer Stallions Elite
squad has wasted no time
living up to its name.
The pint-sized squad consisting
of second through
fourth graders brought
home its first piece of hardware,
taking second place
at the Illinois Recreational
Cheerleading Association’s
Cheer Madness tournament
April 23 at Oswego East
High School.
The Stallions beat out
35 other elite cheer squads
in the bracket-style tournament
— but it was no
easy feat. They competed
against girls nearly
twice their age, facing two
eighth-grade teams and a
ninth-grade squad in the
final four.
“It was really, really exciting,”
Stallions cheer
director and coach Jill
Roberson said. “In the
end, we fell short by one
point to North Shore Elite.
We still considered it such
a victory. The girls have
pushed themselves so hard.
It was really, really exciting
for them.”
It was a long day of competition
for the small yet
spirited squad. The Stallions
had to compete three
times in one day. They
had to get first place in the
Top 4 of their region to advance
to Round 2. From
there, they had to win
their region to reach the
finals.
And the team did not
just win their region; they
scored the most points of
the entire tournament in
Round 2, tallying 83 points.
Their intricate routine, full
of twist-ups, back tucks,
basket tosses, tumbling
passes — just to name a
few — was good enough to
win, Roberson said, but it
just was not in the cards for
them this year.
“Of course, our music
cut out … but the girls had
to continue, and they did
an absolutely fantastic job
pulling it together,” she
said. “I think that if that
didn’t take place, things
would’ve panned out a little
bit differently.”
The Stallions’ success
did not come as a surprise
for Roberson, as the girls
have been dedicated from
the very beginning. Tryouts
were held in January, drawing
the area’s most talented
and dedicated cheerleaders,
like fourth-grader Justyn
Boyce.
Boyce said it was fun
to compete on and be part
of the elite squad. She admitted
it was intimidating
to face off against older
cheerleaders, but she just
genuinely enjoys the sport
— especially stunting and
tumbling — so taking second
was just the icing on the
cake.
“We beat McHenry, which
was a really good team,” she
said. “We screamed [when
we found out we took second].
We felt awesome to
take second out of 36 other
teams.”
The team’s success in
its inaugural season has
Roberson hopeful for the
future. She said she hopes
the Stallions who competed
on the Elite squad will
use their experience with
the rec league teams in the
fall.
“We’re very excited
about the rec league and
what we have to offer within
that,” Roberson said.
“I do think we’re going to
continue with the spring
elite team. I think it just
helps the program grow,
and it helps our parents get
to know one another and the
camaraderie within the organization.”
The Homer Stallions Elite squad, which consists of second- through fourth-graders, forms a pyramid during the IRCA’s
Cheer Madness tournament April 23 at Oswego High School. Photos submitted
The Homer Stallions Elite team took second at the tournament after performing its intricate routine.
The Homer Stallions Elite
team consists of Kendall
Smith, Jordyn Lyerla, Giuliana
Mancini, Kyla Mitchell,
Lindsey Maude, Kennedi
Bensfield, Mylie Bennett,
Emily Oday, Carly Fiorillo,
Julia Giovannetti, Kiley
Fiffles, Mia Pasco, Ireland
Roberson, Justyn Boyce,
Adrianna Pranaitis and Gia
Maestranzi.
The team is coached by
Roberson, coach Kelly
Boike and coach Lisa Lechtenberg.