Teche Area teams hit new highs with nationals bid

Published 4:10 pm Sunday, February 2, 2025

Two Teche Area cheer squads have earned a place at the National High School Cheerleading Championship at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

For the first time ever, cheerleaders from Loreauville High School will be among the nation’s best in Orlando. 

The path to nationals began almost a year ago, and has continued non-stop under the direction of cheer coach Baylor Chastant.

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“We try out in February and March and then prepare for camp in May and June,” she said. “In August, we began choreography and it’s been nonstop work since then. I usually give them a little bit of time off in July, but they chose to come work on stunts and stuff. It really is year-round for cheer.” 

Chastant, a Loreauville cheerleading alumna with experience in both college and competitive cheerleading, said that she was proud of her team for agreeing to do something outside of their usual routine. 

“I’m really proud of the girls. I know that Loreauville can make it difficult to step out of your comfort zone and it can be scary because Loreauville likes to be successful,” she said.

Led by senior captains Mia Judice and Lexi McLinn, Loreauville’s squad is made up of some of the most engaged students on campus. Those extracurriculars and academic obligations made it difficult to devote the appropriate amount of time to prepare for nationals, but the team made a commitment to excellence that they stuck with all year long.

“It was a big commitment,” said McLinn. “We didn’t only use our school practices, we also had to take time out of the weekend and away from other commitments. We have a mentality where we want to compete and actually be good at this.”

For Judice, being part of the first Loreauville squad to make it to nationals is a way to prove to everyone that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

“It feels good to make history. We’re all excited,” she said. “This definitely showed everyone that we’re more capable than anyone thought we were.”

Joining Loreauville at Disney for their third consecutive year, the New Iberia Senior High cheerleaders have their eyes set on an even better showing than last year. According to cheer captain Ava Snay, the key to this season’s success can be found in the bonds between teammates. 

“The bond this year is something like we’ve never had before. We laugh so much more together and we’re so much stronger because we communicate better. We’re a very close team.”

That closeness can be attributed to having mostly the same roster as last year. With only two seniors graduating last season and two new freshmen joining the ranks who already had experience with the NISH squad during their time in middle school, the group traveling to nationals this year is working well to achieve their common goal. 

Part of that preparation is taking place alongside Loreauville’s squad. With both teams using Paige’s Dance & Cheer Studio to practice, it made sense that they would come together and share tips and tricks before heading to Disney. 

“Since it is their first time, they got a few tips from us. I’m really hoping that both teams do well,” said Snay. “It would be amazing for us to both be in the top-10, top-5 or to even both make it to the finals.”

NISH made an appearance in last year’s finals, an impressive result given several last minute changes and an injury crisis that left the squad to compete in a new division. This year, everyone is both healthy and ready to hit new highs. 

“Last year, we had a lot of injuries going into nationals,” Snay explained. “We’ve been blessed this year and haven’t had to make many changes, so we’re definitely going in more confident. We had a fall last year during prelims and we were lucky to be able to move onto the next round.”

The competition will begin on February 7 and last through February 10. Loreauville will be performing its national routine at halftime on February 4 when the Tigers host West St. Mary. Updates will be posted on each team’s Facebook page. To follow along with Loreauville, visit facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560095324002. To keep up with NISH, visit facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073811018185

About the National High School Cheerleading Championship:

For more than 40 years, the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship has been the culmination of the season for cheerleaders across the nation. It’s the most prestigious high school national championship in the country and the perfect opportunity for cheerleading teams to get together and celebrate each other at the Most Magical Place on Earth, Walt Disney World Resort.