ORLANDO, Fla. — One Memphis-area high school added even more hardware to their impressive trophy case this weekend.
The Houston High School Cheer Team, from Germantown, competed in the National High School Cheer Competition in Orlando, Florida, which took place Friday, February 11 to Sunday, February 13.
The team, coached by Chris Crabtree and Ryan Jackson, took home the Super Varsity Division 1A National Championship, as well as the Super Varsity World Championship, marking their seventh varsity National Championship. This was also their seventh varsity World Championship.
Their Junior Varsity squad also took home the trophy in the Non-Tumbling category, winning the Non-Tumbling World Championship for JV and placing sixth in the overall National Championship.
"What a great weekend for HHS Cheer!" the team said via their Facebook page.
According to Varsity Spirit, the organizers of the National High School Cheer Competition, the event is the pinnacle of cheerleading competitions for high school cheerleaders across the country.
All teams invited to compete at the championship qualified at a regional competition in 2021.
Teams were credentialed in cheer safety and leadership training, endorsed by the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS), as well as in the areas of crowd leading, spirit raising, ambassadorship, athleticism, and entertainment.
Varsity Spirit said the National High School Cheerleading Championship was the first of its kind in 1980, created to reward cheerleaders for their work on the sidelines and to create a venue in which they could be recognized for their talents and abilities.
This championship has been featured on ESPN since 1983 and Varsity Spirit is one of ESPN’s longest-running collaborators.