The Pioneer All-Star Cheer and Stunt Club placed second in their first competition this spring on Feb. 21 at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells.

Submitted photo


The All-Stars took second on Feb. 21.

The team has 32 members, with about half the club being members of the UW-Platteville cheerleading squad.
With the team having late practices, it is essential for the members to organize their schedule and have time management said Suraya Mattoon, sophomore criminal justice major.

The new year brought in new uniforms and equipment due to funding from SUFAC.

Ryan Uitenbroek, senior industrial engineer major and stunt coordinator, wrote the routine last semester and spent the last six months training the new members and perfecting the stunts.

The competitive experience level of the team members is varied this year. With the ability of the group determining the difficulty level of the routine, Uitenbroek said he was excited about the new team and impressed by how well the members have taken criticism and applied it to their performance.

“You have to remember when competing, to focus on the stunt at hand, relax, push hard and have fun,” said Katie Berglin, senior graphic design major and team captain.

The team competed against three other teams in their division, with the tournament including high school and college teams. After practicing hard and adjusting the routine, the team expected to place in the top three at the competition Uitenbroek said.

“We can be the champions, we just have to turn it on and hit it,” said Uitenbroek.

The team performed twice at the competition. Berglin said the second performance was the best the team had ever done with all of the stunts timed perfectly together, but it was not enough to defeat UW-Eau Claire.

UW-EC performed tumbling tricks, passes and focused on jumps and dance choreography.

The All-Stars focused on stunt skill, dance choreography, crowd appeal and entertainment and basket tosses. Both teams did well in the skill areas they focused on but tumbling is worth more than stunts in competition said Berglin.

“We are not at all upset at our performance. It was our team’s best, and that was all that mattered,” said Berglin. “I’m extremely proud of how far this team has come, how well we performed, and that Ryan and I were able to end our cheer career on a high note.”

If anyone is interested in becoming a part of the All-Star Cheer and Stunt Club, contact Patti Mitch at mitchp@uwplatt.edu.