By Jennifer Champagne
Managing Editor
To many spectators, cheerleading still brings to mind sideline chants and pom-poms on Friday nights. Competitive cheer is something entirely different.
Governed by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, competitive cheer is a judged sport built around strength, precision, trust and timing, with athletes performing choreographed routines under intense scrutiny.
Teams compete in three rounds, each with specific requirements. Judges score difficulty, execution, synchronization and overall performance. Stunting, tumbling, jumps, motion technique and choreography all factor into the final score. There are no do-overs. Each round lasts just a few minutes, and mistakes can mean the difference between advancing or going home.
“It’s two minutes and 30 seconds on that mat,” Munising varsity competitive cheer coach Taylor Monroe said. “That’s all you get to impress those judges.”
Munising’s competitive cheer program has a long history of success and was among the first Upper Peninsula schools to adopt MHSAA competitive cheer. Over the years, the Mustangs have claimed five district championships, earned U.P. Girls Team of the Year honors in 2019 and 2020 and advanced to state finals at least five times.
This season’s team is small — just four athletes — but the results are speaking loudly.
Munising finished second overall last Thursday at Gladstone, despite taking an automatic 10-point penalty for having fewer than six athletes. Without the penalty, the Mustangs would have won the meet outright. Two days later, on Saturday, Munising claimed first place in its division at Brethren and finished second overall out of seven varsity teams.
At Gladstone, the team broke the 700-point mark for the first time in three years, posting a total score of 700.46 — a major milestone.
“Our goal this season was to break 700, and they did it at their second competition,” Monroe said. “The girls broke down. They weren’t crying because they got second place. They were crying because they beat their personal record.”
Monroe, now in her 10th year with the program and fifth as varsity coach, said daily conditioning, focused repetition and adaptability have been key.
“I do my rounds based off what their strengths are,” she said. “I don’t require them to have skills coming in, but I do require that they’re coachable and willing to work for them.”
Senior Bailey Tyner said competing with just four athletes brings both challenges and opportunities.
“When you only have four girls on the mat, you can see everything,” Tyner said. “There’s nowhere to hide. But it also lets us focus one-on-one and really execute our rounds better.”
One highlight Monroe pointed to was the growth of freshman Eila Anderson, who entered the season without a single competitive skill and was not originally slated to be in any rounds.
“She came in with nothing,” Monroe said. “Another girl decided she wasn’t going to cheer, so I told her, ‘You’ve got to step up. You’ve got to get these three skills — this is what we need.’ And she did.”
Monroe said Anderson has met every expectation placed in front of her.
“She’s gotten everything I’ve asked her to get because she works her butt off,” Monroe said, calling the freshman’s progress a reflection of the team’s work ethic and willingness to push each other.
Tyner, who started cheering in sixth grade, has taken on a leadership role this season, especially mentoring younger teammates.
“I just have so much love for the sport,” she said. “I want to prove Munising isn’t a dying cheer team. No matter what we go through, we’re here to stay.”
Munising athletic director and former cheer coach Nicole Lasak said the program’s impact goes far beyond competition results.
“The competitive cheer program is incredibly important to me,” Lasak said. “Being part of cheer as an athlete and coach changed the course of my life for the better. The opportunities this sport offers benefit athletes in so many ways, and I’m hopeful we can continue to build this team in future years.”
This year’s varsity roster includes seniors Tyner and Athena Platt, along with freshmen Jocelyn Mendoza and Anderson. Monroe said the program also offers an open-door competitive cheer co-op opportunity with Superior Central Schools, which could help build roster depth and ensure long-term sustainability while keeping competitive cheer available to local athletes.
Munising competes Thursday at Bark River, followed by competitions Saturday in Manistique and Thursday, Jan. 29, at Norway. The Mustangs then host a competition at noon on Jan. 31 in their home gym. Admission is $5 at the door.
For a team that has learned the power of trust, focus and resilience, the season is far from over — and the Mustangs are proving that small can still be mighty.