KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.
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The Lee's Summit West cheer team returned home with two national championship titles from the National Cheerleaders Association competition held in Dallas, Texas.
The team won championships in both the intermediate co-ed and intermediate all-girls divisions, marking a significant achievement for the program.
"We won two national titles," said Bennett Cook, a co-ed cheer team member.
The success didn't come without dedication and hard work from the athletes, who spend multiple hours training each week in addition to their other activities.
"It's not just cheering on the sideline, there's a lot more work that goes behind it, that it's not just physically taxing, it's emotionally and mentally cause we're here multiple times a week for multiple hours on end," Abby Coleman said.
The training extends beyond school hours, with many team members participating in additional activities to improve their skills.
"The girls compete on teams outside of the school, so they also have their own private teams, or they take private tumbling lessons. As far as the guys go, we do a lot of work with heavy stunting and stuff, which is where people go in the air. We spend quite a lot of time in the gym," Cook said.
The hard work paid off when the team achieved something special together.
"Seeing what you can achieve when you work hard together with your team. It's like the best feeling," Olivia Nolte said.
As part of their victory, the team received traditional leather jackets awarded to National Cheerleaders Association champions. Cook said the possibility of winning that jacket is motivating during practices.
"The jackets are a traditional thing for the NCA, where if you win in your division, the whole team gets these awesome leather jackets that have the national championship thing on the back of them," Cook said.
The all-girls team is having a particularly impressive season, leaving its mark this year.
"Our all-girl team is actually undefeated this season, and we both won state this season again, so this is our second time, so a back-to-back win. For both teams, which was really great to see," Coleman said.
The athletes credited those who also dedicate several hours a week to the team. They're hours outside of their normal jobs.
"I'd like to complement our coaches, I don't think we'd be able to do any of it without them," Cook said.
As seniors prepare to graduate, the bonds formed through the sport will remain strong.
"I feel like we're not only just teammates, we're like a family," Coleman said.
The seniors say they'll take the lessons they've learned from the team onto their next adventures.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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