Bobcats Perform for Late Teammate
The Bobcats cheer team suffered tragedy on December 12 when team senior Estrella “Star” Padilla was killed in a car accident.
The McCurdy Charter School team coaches and supporters wore a purple ribbon with a star on it in her honor. Her memory was felt through every performance and routine, but that also helped the team stay focused.
“It was a tough year,” said team coach Maria Tapia. “It hit them hard. It hit us hard. It hit the community and the school in a very hard way. But I think we know that she’s watching out for them.”
After finishing sixth last year, the Bobcats improved their score but wound up eighth overall at the March 18 state spirit competition. Last year was the first time McCurdy competed at state spirit since 1987, after restarting its program in 2019.
After Padilla’s passing, the Bobcats somehow rebounded to win their next competition, kicking off a strong year.
McCurdy also struggled with other team-related issues throughout the year, nearly losing the season due to conflict, but administration and athletic director Robert Nevarez was ultimately able to step in and salvage the year.
“They really wanted it,” said McCurdy co-coach Stephanie Martinez.
And they continued to perform strong throughout the year, through the state championship.
“Last year, we didn’t stick all of our stunts,” said junior Ian Vallo. “But coming here today, and being on those blue mats and hitting all of our stunts, we’ve seen a huge drastic change in everything that we’ve done.”
Vallo, the male representative on the team (each team is allowed one male, or will compete in co-ed with multiple) started cheering through his brother’s girlfriend, and said it is his happy place.
Tapia said that no matter the final results, they were happy to have the chance to be in the Pit.
“They’re happy with the outcome,” she said. “They’re happy to be here, they’re happy that they got to compete, and that they did it for (Padilla).”
Escalante competes for the first time in a decade
Ten years ago, the Escalante High School cheer team won the state championship. The next year, they did not have a team.
“With such a small rural school, a lot of it’s numbers,” said team coach Cadie Carrillo. “At a school our size, it’s really hard to get people to come to cheer, because there’s a lot of basketball players.”
In a very basketball-orientedcommunity, it can be tough to fill a team. The 2021-22 Escalante cheer team had 11 members; combined between that and the basketball team probably represents more than half of the female student population — Escalante has barely over 100 students.
The team restarted for the 2021-22 school year, with just eighth-graders through sophomores, Carrillo said. She coached the team through elementary and middle school, but the team did not form in full during the first year of the pandemic.
The Lobos cheer team finished sixth at state spirit with a strong score on both of their competitions, including the third-highest total on their first routine.
Sophomore and team captain Aubrey Valdez said she prefers cheer because of the suspense that lasts all the way until results are announced.
Carrillo said that she did not know much about high school cheer beyond her own experience as a cheerleader.
“We had to learn a lot,” she said.
The team won their very first competition in February, and continued positivity throughout the year.
“I think we had nothing but the best moments,” Carrillo said.
The excitement of competing at state spirit showed throughout the Lobos’ performances, where the smiles on their faces looked even bigger.
“Just running down the tunnel, it was a true experience,” Valdez said. “It was like no words that can describe that feeling.”
And it also showed in their support of Questa, with whom they bonded when the Wildcats traveled to Escalante for a basketball game. Both the Wildcats and the Lobos watched and chanted along with the other’s performance. And the Lobos, while disappointed, were among the loudest supporters when Questa was named the state champion.
Next year, the Lobos hope to celebrate themselves.
“Now we know for next year, what to expect,” Carrillo said. “I can guarantee you, next year we’re going to come back better,” Valdez said. “We’re going to come back stronger, and hopefully bring a trophy home.”
Española’s new regime continues strong program traditions
Tatyana Quintana became the new coach of the Española Valley High School cheer team shortly before the start of the year.
After Anita Gallegos left after 15 years with the team, Quintana said, she took over as head coach. Quintana, a Sundevil graduate, started teaching 10th grade English the year before and became an assistant coach for the team, and was excited to become head coach.
Last season, the Sundevils placed 11th after only competing in one of the two competition legs, opting not to travel to Albuquerque on back-to-back days. They were sixth after the first competition, however. This year, they improved to eighth place total with two strong performances.
“It’s really, really special for all of them,” Quintana said. “I have a couple of seniors that have been cheering for six to eight years. I have some new girls that have never even cheered before. Getting to experience the state championships in this way, I think it’s just really special for them.”
While they continue to build a program, and have fewer resources than schools like state champion Taos, the Sundevils will continue to compete, and provide support to the sports teams throughout the year. And Quintana said they had exceeded her expectation in their performance.
“It was a really, really awesome year,” Quintana said. “And I think it’s a good start to something new for these kids in the valley.”
Pojoaque returns to state spirit with new coach
Cassie Martinez started coaching cheer when her son, D’sean, was five years old. While he played football, she worked with the cheerleaders on the sideline.
Pojoaque Valley High School did not field a cheer team in 2020-21 with a lack of interest. But as those youth cheerleaders entered high school, Martinez helped them form a varsity team.
In their first state spirit performance since 2019, the Pojoaque Elks finished in 11th place, though their scores were not far behind the pack.
“My biggest goal was just for them to have a good year and have fun,” Martinez said. “I’m not all about competitions. I just, mostly, wanted them to have fun.”
There were growing pains for Pojoaque as they had mostly their first year at the varsity level.
“We’ve had a hard year,” said senior and team captain Shania Trujillo. “We hadn’t really practiced our routine that much, we were pretty last minute. But in the end, we came together and worked good.”
The Elks also had to contend with team members who had to withdraw at the last minute, forcing them to readjust everyone’s role and placing in the routine.
“We were literally at our hotel last night, trying to just fix everything,” Martinez said.
But in the end, their 11th-place finish portends a strong future for the team.