Spirit of the Blue Dragons

By Brenna Eller
Editor In Chief

No matter the weather or road conditions, the Hutchinson Community College spirit squad has always been at the football and basketball games to cheer on the Blue Dragons and to share their spirit with the Hutchinson crowd.

This past Sunday was the Region 6 Cheer and Dance Championships at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, where the Blue Dragons finished second place in the Large Co-ed Cheer Division and placed third in the Team Hip-Hop Division.

The team is under first-year coach Kala McElhaney. Austin Chambers and Lindsey Peuser got second in their Partner Stunt Competition.

 “I think we did great,” said sophomore and team captain Ally Boothe. “We did the best that we could, and that’s all that our coach wanted from us.”  

Boothe praised the team, saying that she was for not giving up even though the squad fell on their full up.

“We finished the routine out strong, and I believed that it was a first-place routine,” Boothe said.
Garett Stark, another sophomore, gave his input on the team’s competition.

“I’m overall happy on how we did,” Stark said. “We put in a lot of time and work to achieve what we put out there on the mat,” Stark said.

Even though the Blue Dragons didn’t get first place, Stark said he believed the squad gave it their all and made themselves and their coach proud.

“Crowley College took first and they hit a really solid routine and hit more basic skills than we did, but it was a really close one that could have went either way,” Stark said.

When asked if there were any areas that needed improved, Boothe said, “I think that quads were our biggest struggle mentally. We physically could do it, but we all got in our heads too much sometimes. I think we did a solid job though.”

Stark said he thought the Blue Dragons were impressive, especially with so many newcomers.

“We practiced everything in our routine so many times that I’m not really sure if we could have spent anymore time practicing it,” Stark said, “and the fact that we have guys on our team who just joined at semester and have never cheered before were making our stunts work is really mind blowing.”

For Boothe, it was her final competition and final event as a Blue Dragon.

“I’m going to miss cheering at the games and competing,” Boothe said, “I’ve been competing competitively since I was 10-years old, and it was sad to know that Saturday was my last time competing.”

Not only is Boothe going to miss cheering and competing, but she is also going to miss the cheer squad that she calls family.

“I loved the bond we all shared and we all worked together to come out to do great things,” Boothe said.

After thinking on it, Boothe has decided not to cheer after she graduates HutchCC because she wants to focus more on her education and said that the next two years will be the hardest in college.

“It is sad to know that I am done, because I would do it for the rest of my life if I could, but my body wouldn’t be able to keep up,” Boothe said.

Like Boothe, it is Stark’s last year and he will be sad when it is over as well.

“I will definitely miss all the people I met, easily staying in shape and cheering on the ‘Drags’ during their games,” Stark said.

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