The FHSAA officially recognized competitive cheerleading as a sport in 2007, with the first state championships occurring early in 2008. Since then, the sport has grown and now offers a dozen divisions in two school size categories. Athletes in both the 1A and 2A classifications can compete in various categories separated by size, whether the team is coed and whether the routine will include gymnastics or tumbling elements. This season, Coral Shores joins Key West High School in offering competitive cheerleading as a winter sport.
Last year, competitive cheerleading was an option for Coral Shores students at the club level. The popularity and success enjoyed by the team helped solidify the offering as an official sport this year.
The sport may be new for the Hurricanes, but the coach is definitely not. Samantha Rodriguez has been part of the Key Largo School cheerleading program and brought 16 athletes to the U.S. Open National Cheerleading Competition. The team took first place and won another award for having the best basket toss.
Rodriguez then transitioned from the Tornadoes of KLS to the Hurricanes of Coral Shores, where she took 10 cheerleaders to the United States Cheerleading Association Global Cheer and Dance Championships. The ’Canes won first place in their division and won the overall best performance award, and the team is just warming up. This season, Rodriguez will put her experience to the test with an athletics-sanctioned competitive squad.
“Our primary goal is to maximize learning, enjoy the process and bring home more banners and trophies to Coral Shores,” said Rodriguez, who can’t wait to get started. “We have an incredible group of athletes on our seasonal cheer team, which has grown from 11 participants last year to 18 this year. We aim to expand our competitive team to a similar size, enabling us to execute exciting and dynamic stunts that our athletes truly enjoy.”
