By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
“Pressure is a Privilege” is the mantra of the Bartram Trail High School varsity cheer team according to long-time coach Danielle Parker. On Feb. 2 in Lakeland, the cheerleaders won their fifth consecutive Class 2A large division state championship and Parker said that she made sure that all the team members knew they had something to live up to — and that it was a privilege to feel the pressure to perform.
“Two of our athletes have been on the team for four years … and now have won four championships. Four for four,” she said. “You always want to win, of course, but this provided extra drive.”
As a high schooler, Parker cheered at Bartram Trail herself and became the varsity head coach in 2012. This year’s victory joins previous titles in 2008, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Parker said tryouts for the team were held last April and practices began over the summer, continuing in earnest once school started in August. By November, they had added an extra day of practice for a total of three weekly.
New this year was a St. Johns County Championship, which included four different competitions between all eight St. Johns County high schools’ cheer teams. Parker knew of other counties in the state that have similar events and she said they modeled this championship after them.
“It’s important for the team to get in front of a crowd,” she said. “This helps to get ready for competition season.”
Scores from all four of the local competitions were tallied and Bartram Trail was named the St. Johns County champion.
The Bartram Trail team qualified for the FHSAA state competition by placing second to Niceville in the regional event held in Port St. Joe in January. At the state competition, Niceville won the Class 1A title, while Bartram Trail won the Class 2A title.
The team also placed second in the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) regional competition held in December. This qualified them for the UCA national competition at Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World, Feb. 9 – 11, where the varsity team finished 12th out of 58 teams.
“I think focusing this year on performing under pressure really helped us,” Parker said. “Performances never go perfectly, but it’s important to be smart cheerleaders and save the stunt. Pressure is indeed a privilege.”
Photo courtesy Danielle Parker
The Bartram Trail varsity cheer team won its fifth consecutive state championship in February.
