Fort Walton Beach High School’s cheer and dance teams are heading to Orlando this week to compete at separate national championships, with both programs bringing young rosters and overcoming significant challenges throughout their competitive seasons.

• The 15-member cheer squad will compete at the ACC Nfinity All American Championship after winning the FHSAA state competition two weeks ago. The 30-member Stars dance team — 29 girls and one boy — is the largest dance team in Okaloosa County and will compete at DTU nationals in large varsity game day and large varsity hip hop.

The sendoff

The teams departed Wednesday morning around 7:45 a.m. from the school to a huge sendoff that included parents, community members, students and staff. The Fort Walton Beach Fire Department provided a water spray as the buses left, with the Fort Walton Beach Police Department and Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office escorting them out.

Fort Walton Beach High School Principal Lindsey Smith expressed support for both programs.

“We are incredibly proud of our Fort Walton Beach High School champion cheerleading squad and Stars dance teams and all they continue to accomplish,” Smith said. “These students are the heartbeat of our school spirit, showing up time and time again to support our athletes and our community. Being able to support them as they head to nationals means the world to us, and we can’t wait to cheer them on as they compete on the national stage.”

Let’s talk cheer

The cheer team’s path to nationals has been anything but straightforward, with multiple competition venue changes throughout the season.

• “We originally were planning on competing at NCA in Dallas, and then plans changed, and then we thought we were competing at UCA in Orlando, and then plans changed again,” said head coach Kristal Duval. “So last minute we’re actually going to ACC, the Infinity All American nationals championship in Orlando now. It’s been a whirlwind of a year.”

Despite the uncertainty, the team has maintained focus on “setting goals and hitting goals and trying to keep it going,” Duval said.

Two four-year senior captains lead the squad: Ny’Asia Burton and Stella Swint. The roster also includes juniors Halle Sanders, Saylor Parker, Maddie McCann-Vilchez and Zyla Caines; sophomores Kellan Rewis and Mia Geno; and freshmen Hudson Lansing-Berg, Harper Lansing-Berg, Stella Moak, Leila McLanahan, Alexis Reiniche, Camille Wicks and Danica Daniel.

“They’ve really stepped up and led in a way that we haven’t really seen before,” Duval said of the captains. “They’ve been more hands on where we, as coaches, have been able to take a step back. They feel like it’s more theirs and because they feel that way it’s showing on the mat.”

Assistant coach Courtney Barnes works alongside Duval, with sideline coach Ashley Pritchett providing support during the fall season. The program brought in several alumni cheerleaders and hall-of-famer Barbara Britt to assist during competition season. The team works twice weekly with competition choreographers Mel Simpson and Jordan Cocker at Zero Gravity Athletics on skills and choreography.

The Stars

The Stars dance team switched from NDA to DTU this year after finishing 10th last year.

“We decided we wanted a fresh start and give it a go somewhere else,” said head coach Erin Longo.

• Nearly half the dance roster is new this year, with 14 dancers competing on the high school national stage for the first time.

Three senior captains lead the team: Josie Smith, Bella Riggs and Momo Wilson. Smith “really took the lead this year from the very beginning,” Longo said, describing her as “extremely responsible” and someone who “takes the initiative, leads the team, and encourages them.”

The senior class also includes Devyn Stone and Skyler Faith. Junior lieutenants Elyse Webber and Ash Schaefer support the leadership structure, joined by juniors Emilie Eilders, Stella Leibold, Francesca Caltun, Ellen Jourdan, Ryan Linder, Kinley Driver, Kennedy Moore, Isabel Murillo and Savannah Salli.

The sophomore class includes Taryn Schwind, Swayze Suber, Scarlett McEwan, Cailey Hipsh, Georgia Bentley, Joslyn Jucha and Jayden Kiehn. Freshmen members are Braelyn Sharpe, Kinsley Taylor, Autumn Larsen, Eliana Smith, Taraji Byrd, Victoria Cornier and Rori Jackson.

Assistant coach Taylor Jones, competition coach Angie Boker and volunteer coach Emily Abernathy round out the coaching staff.

• “These incredible women who are my coaching team are crucial to the success and harmony of this program. I could not do this without them,” Longo said. “They devote countless hours to this team and are completely invested in these kids.”

Longo has been coaching with Boker for 11 years. The team also works with local studio owner and professional choreographer Karla Zaldivar throughout the year.

Stepping up

Both dance and cheer teams have navigated injuries, flu season and COVID-19 throughout the competition season, requiring constant roster adjustments.

Sophomore Joslyn Jucha has emerged as the dance team’s MVP after learning five or six different positions on the floor throughout the season.

• “She’s jumped into different parts throughout the season and literally saved the day,” Longo said.

Freshman Braelyn Sharpe stepped into a senior captain spot at the last minute before the team’s first competition after an injury — a front and center position on the floor.

“We got first place with her in the front,” Longo said. “For a freshman to be able to do that was pretty incredible.”

Multiple team members have “really stepped in and put the team first this year — not being self-serving and really wanting to serve for the betterment of the team,” Longo said.

Competition schedule

Thursday features official floor practice for both squads, with the dance team attending master classes with professional choreographers.

The cheer team competes Friday in a single-elimination format. The dance team competes in game day Friday, then hip hop preliminaries and semifinals Saturday, with finals Sunday if they advance.

• “We’re hoping to make it to Sunday and get into finals,” Longo said.

The Stars have maintained their status as a nationally ranked team throughout Longo’s 12-year tenure at Fort Walton Beach, continuing a tradition that predates her coaching career. Longo competed on the team herself and won nationals during her junior year of high school.

“We pride ourselves in representing the school and community at a very elite level,” Longo said.