Champion Force, a cheer team from Sault Ste. Marie, placed second in the Division 5 National Competition in Lexington, KY on July 28.
The team first started out at Young Champions in 2007 then became Champion Force in 2015.
Missy Whitley has been a part of the program since 2007 and became head coach in 2012.
Whitley cannot be more proud of her team.
The Sault Elite Division 5 team has nine girls on it from the ages of 11-18 that are from Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding areas including one that travels here from Newberry. They practice once a week for two hours.
"Taking second was an amazing experience for these girls and myself as their coach. Their reaction when they were announced second is something I can re-watch over and over and it will never get old. They earned their placement pins for their metals and all of them pinned them on with tears of excitement in their eyes," she said.
The road to Nationals was a long road starting last summer.
"The girls definitely have gained skills and confidence this past year. I don’t think the nervousness will ever go away as they get the jitters every time before going on the stage, but once they hit that stage it’s gone. The girls attended State competitions in January 2024 and June 2023 where they placed in the top five to earn points towards nationals for July 2024. There are approximately 20 teams in Division 5 in the state of Michigan that are divided into size categories for our state events," she explained.
Despite the competitive nature of cheer competition, Whitley thinks so highly of them and is very close to them.
"This group of girls is not just a team, they are a family! Our oldest athlete this year graduated high school and is moving away. She started in our program at the age of 5! When you stick with something that long and are sad that your time is over it really says something about the program and team. Our youngest in this division this year is a Coast Guard family along with another one of our girls that our local girls just took right in like it was nothing. The memories they make together and to see them spending time together outside of practice and encouraging one another along the way with everything is something that stands out to me as a coach to see their relationships form. I heard one of the girls say at Nationals to our senior cheerleader, as they all hugged crying, 'Our family will always have a spot for you,' as I fought back the tears it really showed me how much they care for one another," Whitley expressed.
Whitley is always looking for dedicated girls to join their team.
"Although this is our oldest group of girls, our program starts at the age of 4 years old. You can find information and register online for our upcoming fall season that starts September 10th at www.championforce.com classes are held once a week at $10/week," Whitley concluded.
