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Fresh off a second place finish in the lower state finals, the St. James cheerleaders had no time for celebrating.

They were back in the gym this week, sweating through their routines and preparing for the AAA state championships Saturday.

鈥淲e鈥檙e already the underdog coming from the lower state because the upper state has the majority of the powerful teams,鈥� said senior captain Allison Herring. 鈥淏ut with the way that we鈥檝e worked so hard, I think we鈥檒l do well. 鈥� We鈥檙e all just working our butts off to win.鈥�

The Lady Sharks will be one of 16 teams competing in the AAA finals at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. Eleven of the schools are from the upper state.

The only lower state team to outperform St. James in last week鈥檚 qualifier was Hilton Head.

鈥淲e kind of thought we were going to get first because we did so well,鈥� said Sessalie Gore, another of the team鈥檚 four senior captains. 鈥淏ut second鈥檚 still pretty good.鈥�

鈥淎 lot of the teams that were competing have been doing it forever,鈥� captain Kaitlin Bayliff said. 鈥淭his is our second year and we got second place, so I鈥檓 proud of our team.鈥�

Last year, the Lady Sharks finished fourth in the lower state contest. It was the first time the team had made it that far, and the athletes were excited about their accomplishment.

Head coach Jessica Harrell said this year鈥檚 team is hoping to build on that success. At the lower state competition, Harrell said, the girls looked great and nailed all their stunts.

But there鈥檚 more to this team than just strong cheering, she said.

鈥淭he girls work really hard not only to be good cheerleaders, but also to be good people,鈥� Harrell said. 鈥淚 feel so blessed. These are the girls who are going to work hard and get good grades. These girls will go out and be great role models, both within the team and outside the team. They work hard and don鈥檛 try to glorify themselves, but work to better each other. I鈥檓 very proud of the girls.鈥�

The team is comprised of 30 varsity cheerleaders, and incorporates students from the seventh grade on up. Along with the four seniors, there are 11 juniors and the rest are freshmen and sophomores.

Of the 30 girls on the cheer team, only 24 enter competitions.

Harrell explained that there are certain requirements for being part of the team. In order to make the squad, the cheerleaders must be able to perform a standing back handspring, where they jump backwards to their hands and swing their feet over top. The coach said 13 of the girls have exceeded that requirement and have standing back tucks, a back flip with no hands, performed in a curled position.

Three of the girls can even perform a full, which is a straight-bodied back flip using no hands, with a full twist while upside down.

If all the girls on the team can execute their skills correctly, then they will rotate in and out of events, so everyone has a chance to compete. If the girls cannot execute their skills properly, then their goal is clearly set out before them.

The girls take a tumbling class twice a week and tumble on two-inch foam mats. Unlike all-star cheerleaders, high school cheerleaders do not have the luxury of tumbling on a spring floor.

Harrell said competitive cheering is special because while the spirit team supports the football or basketball team, the girls on the competitive squad are the featured athletes.

鈥淥n the spirit team, our main priority is to support the players and conjure up school spirit,鈥� Harrell explained. 鈥淥n the competitive team, though, we are there to win in our own competitive realm.鈥�

Additionally, spirit uniforms are coordinated to match the football and basketball players鈥� jerseys. In competitive cheering, the girls sport flashier uniforms to add to the showmanship of the routine and to stand out.

And the competitions are intense.

鈥淚t鈥檚 cutthroat,鈥� said captain Lawson Thompson.

One advantage for the Lady Sharks is their choreography.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 bring in a choreographer like so many other schools did,鈥� Harrell said. 鈥淚nstead, I did the choreography myself. We started in the summer and have worked really hard to highlight the girls鈥� strengths throughout the routine.鈥�

This week, the girls have worked to perfect that routine. Harrell said every point will count at the state finals.

鈥淲e have had really great support for the girls,鈥� Harrell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a nice feeling. Sometimes people don鈥檛 recognize cheering to be a real sport; it is overlooked. But at lower states, both the principal and the athletic director were there to support us. Also, I have been flooded with emails from other coaches and teachers showing support. Now we get priority like other sports, and the girls are excited to be showcased.鈥�

Claire Jackson 鈥� 488-7258

Charles D. Perry 鈥� 488-7258