Rebel cheerleaders taking 2 teams to nationals this year

When the Vestavia Hills High School Rebel cheerleading team travels to Orlando this month for the National High School Cheerleading Championship, the experience will be a little different than years past.

This year, two teams will compete on behalf of VHHS: the Red team in the traditional super-varsity competition, and the Blue team in the relatively new Game Day division.

“We’ve never done this before, so it’s been a big adjustment year because we have to divide our time a little differently,” competition coach Emily Hudson said.

Hudson said the cheer squad always goes to the two-day competition at Universal Studios, but in the past, not all of the girls have been able to compete due to the size of the group.

“It was almost a shame to have so many girls who were so talented not getting a chance to compete because of numbers,” she said.

Then, the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) added the Game Day competition as part of the weekend.

The Red team will compete in the timed, choreographed traditional competition, which is similar to a competitive or all-star cheer performance, Hudson said, and the girls will perform complex stunts and tumbling runs, along with a crowd cheer.

The Blue team will also perform stunts and tumbling, but on the level that one would see at a regular high school football game. They will also perform what would be a halftime number, a dance to the school’s fight song and a shorter sideline cheer.

Hudson said the team has used the momentum of its state and regional performances to prepare for the Feb. 10-11 competition, and that the girls are looking forward to it more than ever.

“I think that they’re very excited,” she said.

For updates on the Rebels’ performance at nationals, follow @UCAupdates on social media.