Glen Allen High School’s competition cheerleading squad won first place in the Capital District competition for the first time in the school’s three-year history. The team placed second in the Central Region and will be one of four teams representing the region at the state competition.

Junior Tristen Slamowitz credits team work and senior leadership for the team’s success.

“We were forced to work as a team,” Tristen said. “When we walked through the door at practice every day we were supposed to leave all our stress at the door and work toward the same goal.”

Tristen said that they didn’t start out the year practicing this way. However, Coach Sarah Catlett made hard work the expectation. Tristen said that two or three times this year Catlett made the team run because it was not working together.

“We all have to put in 100 percent every time we run the routine, and if one person doesn’t then it reflects on the whole team,” Tristen said.

The team also won the Rebel Rally competition at Fairfax High School on Oct. 13. Tristen said the victory made the team realize that it was good enough to beat other teams in the district.

“In the past few years we weren’t at the same level as the other teams,” she said. “We realized we could be just as good as them, and we are now.”

Shannon Stansberry was one of the seniors who led stretches and encouraged the team.

“We all put our differences aside and work together as a team, and we just want to win for each other – not just for ourselves,” she said.