By the time this is read, the Rock Hill Middle School cheerleaders and Rock Hill Elementary No.

Friday, March 16, 2001

By the time this is read, the Rock Hill Middle School cheerleaders and Rock Hill Elementary No. 2 cheerleaders are well on their way to the ECA Finals Cheerleading National Championships in Williamsburg, Va.

The middle school cheerleaders will be competing for their third straight national title. They will compete in the Cheer Classic on Saturday and the Invitational on Sunday. In order to qualify for the invitational, teams must place in a regional competition or receive a bid from ECA, which will make a decision after viewing a video tape of the team’s performance.

This is the 17th year that Rock Hill has attended the nationals. They have placed in the top five 14 times and were champions the other three years. They will be competing in the small junior high mount division and the junior non-mount division.

"We have struggled with mounts this year, but if they give 110 percent and want to win bad enough, they have the ability to have a great performance," said coach Ginger Dalton.

This will also qualify individual members to be chosen by All-American Cheer Scouts to perform at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii and the Citrus Bowl halftime show in Florida.

"This is the first year ever for the elementary school to go" said Terri Stamper, coach.

She said that the girls had worked very hard and are looking forward to competing in this invitational. Robin Pancake, mother of cheerleader, Michelle Pancake, said her daughter is very excited and is looking forward to going to Williamsburg.

"They qualified last year, but they didn’t have the funds to go, so they worked hard to raise the money this year," she said. "These girls are great – they have worked very hard for this, and being their first year, they would be happy if they just placed."