Camas Pop Warner Cheer Team Heads to Nationals

When the Camas Pop Warner Cheer team won the Pacific Northwest Junior Midget regional competition in October, their hard-earned victory earned them a coveted spot to compete at this week’s National Pop Warner Superbowl in Orlando, Florida.

Since that moment, the girls and their coaches have been actively preparing for the national competition by getting physically, mentally and financially ready for their big moment, which happens this Wednesday at the Wide World of Sports complex at the Disney World resort.

“We’ve been fundraising like crazy,” said coach Tami Simms. “It’s a great opportunity for the girls. “We practice three times a week, up to two hours each day to get ready.”

The girls only get one chance to show the judges their 2:30 routine, and will be competing with approximately 100 other teams from across the nation.

Simms, Tamara Tilton, Julie Alger and Dianne Christenson work closely with the 16-member team to incorporate different elements with varying degrees of difficulty into their routine.

“For every element you hit you score points,” said Simms. “We only get a two-minute, thirty-second shot at this.”

The Pop Warner Cheer program is scholastic in nature, and the girls have a cumulative GPA of 3.8. The girls, ages 11-13 are in grades 7 and 8.

The 16 member team is comprised of Anne Marie Albright, Josie Buzzell, Emily Christenson, Kalel Coleman, Nicole Gilstrap, Cassandra Jones, Bree McClelleland, Abigail Olsen, Kamrin Parry, Clara Sharp, Ashley Simms, Hannah Sturgis, Janessa Terry, Hannah Toops, Kourtney Wilds, and Amelia Wong.

Their student coach is Peyton Boatwright.

The girls have been together since August and are thrilled about the opportunity to compete at the national level.