“Hit, pull! Hit, hit, hit!” 

The screams of the audience determined the energy of the room: competitive, yet filled with the creativity and talent of 7 hard-working Frederick County cheerleading teams. The Linganore cheerleaders were determined to carry on their 12-year legacy.

On October 22, varsity and JV cheer competed at the Frederick County Championships at Governor Thomas Johnson High School. Varsity won with a score of 125.5–nearly four points ahead of second place Urbana High School.

JV also won with a score of 115.9, making this year the 12th consecutive County Championship title for both LHS teams.

Both teams hit zero (no deductions) with performances that radiated confidence and dominated the floor. Varsity’s final score was the highest score in Linganore cheer history–a strong comeback from placing third at their invitational at Arundel High School only a few days before.

“The Arundel Invitational wasn’t our best day,” said varsity member Charlotte Koogle. “We definitely stepped up our game and worked together as a team to keep our title at counties.” 

Two stunt falls determined the team’s fate at the Arundel Invitational on October 19.  One fall out of a full up to arabesque during their elite stunt sequence, and another out of a straight up to heel stretch during their second stunt. 

“The captains and I work really hard to hype everyone up and make sure everyone’s confident before we get on the floor. After the Arundel Invitational we found that some girls got nervous when they were competing. We decided that we needed to get everyone’s morale up and told them to have more fun with our routine and not worry about where we place,” said varsity captain, Madi Lindung. 

On the mat, both teams brought their very best.

“Their energy stood out last night. The energy was on point from beginning to end. They really feed off of the crowd while performing and our fans brought it last night which transferred to them,” said varsity head coach, Amy Rumburg.

While the team brings their best on the mat, they also bring their best in sportsmanship. During the county competition, varsity and JV both sat for other varsity teams who didn’t have anyone else to cheer them on, encouraging them despite the competition. Washington County’s Boonsboro High School fields a small team and was performing for exhibition only. The LHS crowd was loud enough to spur Boonsboro to higher excellence.

The county championships are the last competition for JV, but varsity will advance to regionals before heading to the state championships. The team will continue to work on perfecting their stunts as well as improving their performance elements, with a few small changes to help improve their timing and overall scores. 

The State Semi-Final Competitions will be held on Saturday, November 2. Doors open at 12:00 p.m.