It sometimes gets play on ESPN, FoxSportsNet, etc., and now it's in Florida -- competitive cheer.
For the first time ever, this sport will be recognized as, well, a sport, with seven state champions crowned (one per division, according to the schedule -- non-tumbling, all-girls small, all-girls medium, all-girls large, all-girls extra large, co-ed small and co-ed large) between Friday and Saturday at FAU Arena in Boca Raton.
And South Florida is no competitive cheer wasteland, either -- in late January, Dillard High played host to the Broward County Athletic Association's own competition, and a number of teams from the area will hope to get that title of "first state champion ever."
Here are the local teams competing this weekend, along with times and divisions:
Friday morning:
- Miramar, 8:16 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Deerfield Beach, 8:24 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Coral Glades, 8:52 a.m. (extra-large)
- Stranahan, 9:12 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Everglades, 9:28 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Lourdes, 9:56 a.m. (extra-large)
- Dillard, 10 a.m. (non-tumbing)
- Coconut Creek, 10:08 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- University, 10:20 a.m. (extra-large)
- Gulliver Prep, 10:24 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Mater Academy, 10:48 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Calvary Christian, 10:52 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Cardinal Gibbons, 10:56 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Coral Springs, 11:04 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- South Broward, 11:12 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Boyd Anderson, 11:24 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Pompano Beach, 11:28 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- Key West, 11:36 a.m. (non-tumbling)
- McArthur, 11:52 a.m. (non-tumbling)
**Non-tumbling and extra-large finals are set to start about 1:15, with the champions crowned at around 3:15 p.m.
Friday afternoon/evening:
- Archbishop Carroll, 4:04 p.m. (co-ed small)
- Sagemont, 4:28 p.m. (co-ed small)
- Calvary Christian, 4:40 p.m. (all-girls small)
- South Plantation, 4:44 p.m. (co-ed small)
- Coral Springs Christian, 5:20 p.m. (all-girls small)
- Central, 5:52 p.m. (all-girls small)
- Ransom Everglades, 6:08 p.m. (all-girls small)
- Flanagan, 6:52 p.m. (co-ed small)
**The co-ed small and all-girls small finals are set to start around 8:30 p.m., with the champions crowed at about 10.
Saturday:
- Dade Christian, 8:04 a.m. (medium)
- Taravella, 8:48 a.m. (medium)
- Pine Crest, 9:48 a.m. (medium)
- Northeast, 9:52 a.m. (medium)
- Cypress Bay, 9:56 a.m. (medium)
- Nova, 10:08 a.m. (medium)
- Coral Springs Charter, 2:28 p.m. (all-girls large)
- Doral Academy, 3:08 p.m. (all-girls large)
- Douglas, 4:24 p.m. (all-girls large)
- Fort Lauderdale, 4:56 p.m. (all-girls large)
**The finals for the all-girls medium and co-ed large divisions are set to begin around 11:20, with awards coming at 1 p.m. For the large all-girls division, finals begin at 6:30 p.m. and champions are crowned at 8.
--Patrick Dorsey
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