By Marisa Dawson
The Bennington High School cheer team hosted its Annual Valentine’s Day Cheer Competition on Saturday, welcoming several area schools to the event. Although the hosting Badgers were ineligible to compete for awards, they delivered standout showcase performances of their routines and enthusiastically supported visiting teams throughout the day, culminating in the presentation of awards.
Head coach Kristen McCrillis highlighted the significance of the tradition in an interview. “Hosting this competition is something our cheer program takes a lot of pride in,” she said. “It’s become a tradition our athletes, families, and community really look forward to.” Over the past four years, the event has expanded significantly, drawing more teams and showcasing higher levels of talent and enthusiasm. “It’s exciting to watch teams from across the area make this a key date on their competition calendar,” McCrillis added, “and we love being able to showcase what makes Bennington such a welcoming and spirited community.”
The competition featured two main categories to accommodate different skill focuses. The traditional category encompasses the full scope of competitive cheer, including stunting, tumbling, jumps, and dance. “This is the full version of competitive cheer—stunting, tumbling, jumps, dance, the works,” McCrillis explained. “It’s high-energy and showcases the athleticism and difficulty cheer is known for.”
In contrast, the non-building, non-tumbling category eliminates stunts and tumbling, emphasizing motions, dance, timing, sharpness, and performance quality. “It’s all about precision and showmanship,” she noted. “Both styles demand athleticism, but they highlight different skill sets.”
The Bennington team prepared distinctly for each. For their traditional routine, preparation centered on technique, stunt group timing, safe progressions, and consistency under pressure, with strength, trust, and communication proving essential. The non-building, non-tumbling routine prioritized motion execution, synchronization, and performance confidence. “These athletes have really embraced the challenge of delivering a routine where every arm angle and every count matters,” McCrillis said. Across both, the team’s core strengths showed- discipline, teamwork, and energetic performance with pride.
Judges in these divisions prioritize clean execution, synchronization, confidence, and routine composition. In the traditional division, difficulty factors in but only when performed safely and cleanly. This season, the Badgers emphasized consistency above all. “Performing under pressure the same way we perform in practice,” McCrillis stressed, along with strong technique and sharp motions “so every part of our routine scores with intentionality.”
Balancing hosting duties with their own showcase required careful planning. “It definitely takes organization and a lot of teamwork,” the coach said. Parents, volunteers, and student workers managed event operations, freeing athletes to stay focused. “Our team knows when it’s time to shift from hosting mode to competition mode, and they handle that transition really well,” she added, crediting strong community support.
What impressed McCrillis most about this group was their resilience and commitment. “This group shows up every day ready to put in the work, and they truly care about growing as a team,” she observed. On competition day, they supported one another, overcame nerves swiftly, and competed with pride, displaying notable leadership and maturity.
Competing against (and observing) strong area programs fosters growth. “Facing strong programs pushes us to elevate our own performance,” McCrillis explained. Athletes witness elite execution, learn to adapt and refine skills, and build mental toughness- valuable preparation as the team heads into the state competition next week. “The experience sharpens their confidence heading into next week,” she said.
McCrillis hopes spectators left with an appreciation for the sport’s demands and rewards. “I hope they see the incredible athleticism and hard work that goes into cheer,” she said. “These athletes are strong, disciplined, and dedicated, and this competition is a great showcase of that.” She also emphasized the sportsmanship among schools as a positive community force.
For the Bennington team, the day measured success beyond scores. “Success for us isn’t only about scores,” McCrillis reflected. “Today our team showcased our routines rather than being eligible to win—it’s about hitting the routine we’ve worked for, supporting each other, and representing Bennington with pride.” The athletes performed confidently, stayed composed, and uplifted one another making it, in her view, a truly successful showcase.
