Coupeville Sports

Kassidy Upchurch and associates bring big spirit to the competition mats Saturday in Puyallup. (Brittany Kolbet photos)

Competition is heating up.

As they move into winter, the Coupeville High School cheerleaders will split time between sideline work and competing at events.

Saturday brought the Wolves to Puyallup, where they earned 2nd place in the “small non-tumbling class” at the Blue Fusion Cheer Competition.

The competitive cheer season runs from November through the state meet the first weekend in February, with weekend practices going since August.

Coupeville’s squad on the blue mats includes Abbigail Bond, Alysia Burdge, Miles Gerber, Jacob Schooley, Isabella Schooley, Makenna Jonker-Chambers, Pamela Morrell, Kassidy Upchurch, Hayley Thomas, Reina Reed, and Avery Williams-Buchanan.

Jayden Cooks rounds out the roster as team manager, with Jennifer Morrell and Tara Crouch working as coaches.

Pamela Morrell checks the ceiling for dust.

In addition to fine-tuning their competitive routines, the Wolves are also working towards being able to purchase cheer mats.

With a full set of mats, which consists of nine panels, CHS could host showcases and competitions.

Anthony Ford, Crystal Cruz, Sylvia Arnold and the Coupeville Arts and Crafts Association have provided support and financial assistance to the program, and the Wolves are halfway to their goal.

The team plans to reach out to community groups and cheer fans in the near future to see if anyone else is interested in sponsoring the purchase of more mat panels.

If you can’t wait until they do, make first contact with Jennifer Morrell by emailing her at jmorrell@coupeville.k12.wa.us.

Kings and queens of the blue mats.