The junior midgets, who are the oldest Vikings squad competing
this year, won the Small Intermediate competition against two
fierce rivals, the Morgan Hill Raiders and the Almaden
Mustangs.
MOUNTAIN VIEW
The Hollister Vikings’ cheerleaders have become nationally recognized in recent years, sending 11 squads to the national championships in the past six years, and dominating the league and the Pacific Northwest region in almost every competitive category.
On Saturday at Shoreline amphitheater, this year’s competitive Viking teams served notice that they plan to continue that tradition, while their younger sisters on the instructional teams gave Northern California every reason to believe that the dominance might continue for years to come.
The junior midgets, who are the oldest Vikings squad competing this year, won the Small Intermediate competition against two fierce rivals, the Morgan Hill Raiders and the Almaden Mustangs. The team’s routine is highly advanced and is loaded with difficult stunts and acrobatics – the team scored higher than its rivals despite not being able to complete all of the stunts to perfection.
Coach Pepper Soto is confident that the team will be a national contender this year as they still have several weeks left to improve on their routine.
The pee wees also took home a trophy, finished fourth in a crowded field of eight teams, but first-year head coach Melissa Nixon expressed confidence that her team would be at the top of their field at the championships.
The pee wee Vikings would have taken second if not for a mandatory deduction, which cost them several points.
Hollister’s mighty mite routine contained many stunts not usually seen at the instructional level as their routine featured a “full-up” stunt, complex formation changes, fast synchronized dancing and several tumbling stunts, including one performed by Jennifer Leist, who just broke her leg six weeks ago and still must wear a leg brace.
The Viking tiny mites also impressed the 12,000 people gathered at Shoreline who are used to seeing the younger performers just stand in one place and recite a cheer. The Vikings’ youngest performers did several stunts in their routine, along with a long cheer and a rousing finish.
Teams will compete again on Oct. 30 at the Peninsula Cheer Championships in Santa Clara, where the winner and runner-up at each level will proceed to represent the league at regionals – the final step towards a national competition berth.
If fans want to see their routines in advance, they can come to the Vikings home football games, where the cheer teams will perform their routines at halftime both this Saturday and on Oct. 16 at Andy Hardin Stadium.
