Only team to compete from Wyoming at the NCA National Championship; Douglas High Cheer

      This past year has been a great one for the Douglas High Cheer team, in Douglas WY. They have not only worked hard cheering on the rest of the Douglas High athletes but have worked hard to prove that they are national competitors themselves. This group of young ladies, led by Coach Margo Shatto, placed 20^th in their division at the National Cheer competition.
       The first step towards this achievement came at the Greeley, CO National Cheerleading Association camp during the summer of 2013. Here the team received their bid to go onto the NCA National Championship. After receiving this honor, the team worked long and hard on their routine as well as raising funds to be able to afford to attend the competition. The cheer team put on many different fundraisers including several bake sales, a rifle raffle, and a Butter Braid sale. The team was also given generous donations from local businesses, who wanted to show their support to the Douglas youth.
       Coach Shatto speaks highly of the determination, resourcefulness, and work ethic of these young athletes.“Watching them perform the routine that we worked so hard on for five months was amazing. They performed all their stunts without one mistake and danced like they have never danced before” the coach announced about her talented team. The Douglas cheer team performed admirably against over 300 teams from around the nation that were invited to this prestigious event. The chance to travel to a national championship is rare for many high school cheerleaders, but to place is an even greater accomplishment. Their hard work, determination, and innovation has created memories and experiences that the Douglas High School, Douglas community, and the Douglas Cheer team will never forget.

Wahoo High Cheer and Dance Wahoo, NE 2013-2014

Senior Laura for Wahoo High Dance

The Wahoo High School Dance Team coach, Megan Reisen, has worked hard to help her team grow over the past three years that she has been coach. She has helped all of the girls realize that goals are important in order to succeed. The team has set their goal for the 2013-2014 year to be place first at the Nebraska State Dance Competition. The team has narrowly missed this goal the last two years. With the team’s hard work and determination, Reisen thinks their goal is very realistic because of their personal ambition as well as the overall drive and determination of the team.  Captain, senior Laura Barry, loves how the team comes together to support each other as well as the rest of the school. Having such a close-knit team and community is part of the reason that the Wahoo Dance team has excelled so much since Reisen took the team under her wing.

Reisen’s favorite part about working with such an amazing group of young women is that she gets to see them grow as dancers, performers, and young women. “It’s an incredible feeling to see the progress each team has made from the beginning of a season during the summer to the state competition that rounds up our season”.  Reisen remembers being in her team’s shoes not so long ago. She was very involved in dance growing up and was a part of the Midland University dance team for four years. While at Midland University, Reisen earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. As well as coaching the Wahoo High School Dance Team, Reisen owns and operates the local dance studio and works on the side in a pharmaceutical lab.  Much of her free time is dedicated to dance and helping young men and women become better at their chosen sport. She has been teaching dance for seven years.