For the second time in two weeks, Northgate Vikings lady athletes took a ‘Walk of Champions’ around the Northgate campus to bask in the glory of a state championship.

On Monday morning, November 12, it was the turn of the Northgate Vikings Cheerleaders to be cheered by their fellow students. The Vikings Cheerleader squad had returned fresh from a victory at state meets that placed them as tops among all AAAA high schools in the state.

Northgate’s latest state victory comes just two weeks after the Northgate Lady Vikings softball team – led by head coach Lisa Skelton - beat the Cherokee Lady Warriors to take the AAAA state women’s softball championship on October 27.

Then, on November 10, the Northgate Vikings Cheerleaders placed first overall in the Georgia High School Association cheerleader competitions at the Columbus Civic Center, after competing against 15 other top-ranked AAAA cheerleading teams.

Coach Mack Cain and cheerleading coach Sarah Frazier congratulated the Vikings team Monday morning, as the ladies were treated to a celebratory walk through the campus and cake.

The celebration came after two tough weekend competitions for the cheerleaders. The Vikings Cheerleader squad had won the region 2-AAAA championship just the weekend before, on November 3 at Spalding High School.

“Because there are so many good teams combined into single regions… the state competitions are made up of the top eight division teams in the state and the top eight 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams who come out of the sectionals,” said coach Frazier. “So there are 16 teams that compete in all. And our region is very strong - a lot of the sectional teams came from region 2.”

That makes victory even sweeter for Northgate and Coweta County, as several strong cheerleading squads from Fayette County High Schools competed with the north Coweta high school for the state honors. In Saturday’s state competitions the Starr’s Mill cheerleading squad placed 2nd, Whitewater 3rd, and McIntosh 4th.

Cheerleading competitions differ from the “sideline” cheerleading that many sports fans are familiar with. The regional and state competitions rely on much more complicated and acrobatic routines. There are scored categories for gymnastics jumps, pyramids and other elements that make up a complex two and one-half minute routine.

“The cheer itself is actually just a small portion of it,” said Frazier. Competitions based on that routine “don’t leave you any room for error, which really puts the pressure on. So you can have a great season, but state championships are based on a do or die performance.”

“So it shows the real discipline and dedication and confidence the girls have to win back to back competitions like this,” said Frazier. “It has been a lot of practice and conditioning this year, and really for several years, to get here. Our seniors have fought hard for the past four years to get to this point. How great to finish their final season with the state title.”

In fact, this year’s senior cheerleaders have come close in years past. Northgate Viking Cheerleaders were region champs and State 2nd Runner Up in 2004-2005, region champs and State 1st Runner Up in 2005-2006, and State 1st Runner Up in 2006-2007 before bringing back state gold this year.

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