Cheering: Lisbon wins Class C South title

LEWISTON — Lisbon is back in front of crowds and back to standing out among the crowd at postseason cheer competitions.

Since finishing second at the Class C cheer state championships on Feb. 8, 2020, the Greyhounds hadn’t competed in person until Saturday, when they edged Winslow for the Class C South regional cheering title at Lewiston High School.

Lisbon earned 68.10 points to runner-up Winslow’s 66.35.

“Incredibly proud of them,” Lisbon coach Nicole Adams said. “For us to hit clean, that was our goal for the whole thing. They crushed it, I am so proud of them. They came out swinging on this one.”

The Greyhounds were anxious heading into Saturdays regional championships. They were the first team to perform, at 9 a.m., then they had to sit and watch the competitors go through their routines.

“They were all nervous; like I said, it was their first time in front of people in two years,” Adams said. “Last year was very sterile, in front of a video camera. It’s different when you have a competition crowd and that feeling of competition.”

The 2021 state championships were held remotely and Lisbon finished eighth. Senior Grace Braley said Saturday was about proving the Greyhounds were still a top cheering squad.

“I think, mainly, the number one thing was to hit our routine perfectly,” Braley said. “Since we got eighth last year in states, everything was virtual so it wasn’t clear, so being back in person we wanted to prove that we were good and could hit our routine. It felt like we picked up where we left off two years ago.”

Annika Golino, another Greyhounds senior, said Saturday’s competition just felt right.

“It felt like we were back at home,” Golino said. “I feel like this brought us back together. Being together and part of a team and winning together, it pushes us together.”

Mountain Valley finished in third place with 61.85 points, followed by Sacopee Valley (50.7), Madison (45.1), Spruce Mountain (43.35) and Dirigo (39.9). Like last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, every team is eligible for next week’s state championships at the Augusta Civic Center.

C South was the first of four regions — joining A North, A South and B South — to compete at Lewiston High School on Saturday. Prior to competition, the teams were shuttled to Connors Elementary School, next door to the high school, to warm up before being shuttled back to high school for the competition.

“We competed first, we didn’t know how warmups would be run,” Adams said. “It was a little different than normal because you had to be shuttled to a different building. We were the first team so we were the guinea pigs, but (Lewiston athletic director) Jason Fuller was incredible to work with.”

When it came time to perform, Braley said, the Greyhounds did their routine better than they had in practices leading up to regionals.

“I think mainly hitting the routine, we haven’t hit perfect yet because we haven’t competed in front of people yet, and so I think that was the main goal,” Braley said. “Hitting our routine was the best, and then winning topped it off. It brought us back to the feeling of a few years ago, and it was so much better than competing in front of a camera. It gives you adrenaline and makes you feel more important.”