Another Year, Another State Title for Cheer Team

Winning a state title is nothing new for the Oak Creek cheerleading squad.

The team won five consecutive titles before opting not to go last year. They made it back to state last weekend and won again, taking home another trophy to Oak Creek.

But while the girls may be accustomed to winning, this year's championship may have been the sweetest.

The team battled adversity earlier in the season when the two coaches left the team, leaving three parents to take over.

"They had a really rough year," said one of the parents, Kris Archambeau, who helped coach the team.

The team was essentially faced with a choice - to either have the parents coach the team or not compete at all, Archambeau said. The squad regrouped in time to win the regional competition and earn a trip back to state.

Green Bay-bound

The championships were held last weekend in the Brown County Arena in Green Bay, right across the street from Lambeau Field. Teams are broken down into three divisions by total school enrollment, and then divided further based on the size of the squad. The 18-member Oak Creek team was in the medium division of Div. 1.

The memory of walking out in a huge auditorium in front of many fans is one the girls likely won't forget anytime soon. And Archambeau feels it was the difficulty of the routine that put Oak Creek over the top in the judges' eyes. 

The title capped an amazing weekend in what certainly could be described, for better or worse, as a memorable season.

"It took a lot of hard work and the girls pulled it off," Archambeau said. "The fact they went on to win state was outstanding."

Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards ordered a police escort when the team got home. Police met them just off the freeway and led the squad back to the high school, just like they have done in past seasons.

The squad has one more weekend to go on the season - the national competition in Wisconsin Dells March 26-27.

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Photo caption:

Front Row (left to right) – Amanda Dunlop, Ashley Ellis, Hailey Voss, Lizzie Bragstad

Row 2 (left to right) – Jessi Hynes, Alyssa Czerwinski, Olivia Cabreza, Cassie Janikowski, Brittany Erickson, Jenn Edwards, Kelsey Archambeau, Allie Kattner

Row 3 (left to right) – Isabella Valdivia, Cari Fehler, Emily Wendt,  Tea Abazi, Carly Burns, Sami Cira

Not pictured are coaches Kris Archambeau, Michelle Bragstad and Anita Fehler, and alternates Anisa Feto, Jaenelle Ignacio, Kira Eschner and Mason Czarnecki.