Although student-athletes haven’t had a class for nine weeks now at Sedona Red Rock High, the Scorpion cheer team continues to work hard through the summer and their efforts have paid off.
On July 14, the Sedona cheer squad won the Universal Cheerleaders Association summer camp title, beating multiyear state champion Hamilton High in the process.
“Our summer conditioning and practice has paid off for our co-ed cheer team,” Scorpion Head Coach Angela Biermann said.
Fourteen Scorpion student-athletes participated in the four-day camp at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, giving themselves a great chance to win the camp events.
Participating on this summer’s cheer squad for Sedona is senior Kaitlynn Taylor, juniors Brooke Biermann, Emily Collins and Tayler Beyer, sophomores Kristen Taylor, Christian Boulet and Ashley Hook, and freshmen Kaylina Kunkle, Catina Lagomarsino and Sara Marcy.
As for those boys, seniors Champion Max Boehm-Reifenkugle, Pedro Ortega Jr., Zach Saxman and Dylan Watkins were on hand as well for camp at NAU last week.
Solid stunting and an unbeatable 360-degree rotating diamond head ending sealed the win for Sedona.
UCA camp instructors made several attempts to replicate the stunt themselves to no avail.
The Scorpions also took home a Spirit Stick and the Gatorade Leadership Award which was voted on by over 30 other teams involved at the camp including over 500 cheerleaders.
“This was an awesome opportunity for our team to show what we had and we succeeded. I’m so proud of all our kids; they did a great job,” Biermann said.
Coached by Biermann, the Scorpions were one of the smallest teams in attendance at the UCA camp at NAU which makes it even more of an accomplishment for those wearing the black and purple.
All-American award winners included Kaitlynn and Kristen Taylor, Watkins, Saxman, Boehm-Reifenkugle and Ortega.
Watkins also won the boys jump-off contest at the UCA camp, leading camp instructors at NAU to invite him to apply to be a camp instructor for the 2010 summer camp season.
Kaitlynn Taylor and Boehm-Reifenkugle were also extended the offer for 2010.
Brian Bergner Jr. can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 131, or e-mail bbergner@larsonnewspapers.com
