This was the first year the North Platte cheer team was allowed to hire a choreographer. The cheer team hired Alexis Gass, a UCA out of Lincoln to come down for a weekend. Senior Morgan Libsack said she loved having a choreographer because in the past the captains had to to make the routines. She’s looking forward to the team hiring a choreographer in the future and thinks it will help the team perform better.
The 2017 Nebraska State Cheer & Dance Championships were held at the Heartland Event Center in Grand Island, NE, on February 17-18. This year the cheer team placed 13th in non-tumbling above Grand Island. Libsack led the team to State. “This year was disappointing because we were hoping we would get a better place than we did,” she said. As the captain she said she’s proud of the girls. “We definitely held our own,” she said.

The North Platte dance team placed last in pom but above Grand Island in jazz. First time dance competitor and senior Erica Whipple said, “It was exhausting having that much adrenaline running through you.” Whipple said it was tiring but the team’s positive attitude carried them.

Libsack and Whipple have high hopes for the future cheer and dance teams.
This was the first year that cheer teams were allowed to stunt at State. Libsack said the team didn’t stunt this year in fear of losing points. “In the future it would be a good idea when we have more experience,” she said. The new coaching staff has helped both teams prepare for State. “Our coach is awesome and knows everything she’s doing. She’s been a UDA person before and so she knows how things go and how it works and what to do to get us prepared for where we want to be,” Whipple said. Whipple hopes the dance team can get more experienced dancers in the years to come. “As far as the athletes we have, they get better and better every year,” Libsack said.