Canton cheer tryouts were held on Tuesday, March 12. The cheerleader candidates had three cheer clinic days where they practiced cheers, dances, and jumps.

There was a total of 14 high school cheer candidates and 13 junior high cheer candidates. At Canton schools, cheerleaders are required to retryout every year.

Tryouts consist of doing a dance in a group, doing a cheer with a group, doing a cheer alone, and doing two jumps.

The cheer candidates were judged by three cheerleaders from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Canton High School cheer squad consist of next year’s seniors, Kalissa Wile, Ally Nix, and Courtney Thompson. Brianna Ross and Kenidi Humbargar will be next year’s juniors. New sophomore cheerleaders are Braxton Thompson, Kenzi Nix, Kylie Nix, and Hanna Sullins,  Kiana Whiteman, Sienna Bates, and Lea Vowell will be the new freshman cheerleaders.

“When Mrs. Thompson said that I made it, I almost crushed my phone from excitement,” Lea Vowell, eighth grade, said.

Mrs. McClure, elementary teacher is the new Junior High Cheer coach.

Canton’s Junior High Cheer squad has next year’s eighth grade, Alexa Delgado, Kylie Carrasco, Alyse Whiteman, Jacie Murray, Ryleigh Bierig, Addisyn Raleigh, and Jadine Chervenka and Addisyn Smith are next year’s seventh-grade cheerleader.

“I wasn’t nervous, because I have gotten over my fear of performing in front of people because I have been cheering for three years,” Kalissa Wile, junior, said.