The Crandall Pirates Cheer team is no stranger to success. During Coach Nicole Mitchell’s tenure, Crandall has experienced much success due to the hard work and dedication of the team and strong coaching. The Pirates have placed in the top eleven at state over the past six years. In 2018, 2020, and 2021 the Crandall Cheer team won state!
The UIL Spirit State Championship, which took place on January 13-15th, was held at the Fort Worth Convention Center. This third championship was extra special given the circumstances of 2020-21. COVID-19 protocols had to be closely followed along with Crandall being moved up to Class 5A Division II. Crandall was competing against some powerhouse teams in San Antonio Alamo Heights (2020 5A State Champs) and Lucas Lovejoy.
I asked Coach Mitchell what it was like to coach in these unprecedented times. Mitchell said, “Moving from 4A to 5A brought many changes to our preparation. We increased the number of cheerleaders allowed on the mat from 20 to 30. We were ready to start preparing with our new team back in March, but then COVID caused schools to close and that meant practices had to stop. We worked with the girls via Zoom Meetings and encouraged them to keep practicing at home. Once we could start practicing together again in June, we just picked up where we left off and hit the ground running. Our alternates were a huge help this summer and fall because of quarantining. We rarely had all 30 cheerleaders at every practice, so they really stepped up and helped us prepare. I feel our team is successful at UIL because what you see on the mat is what you see when our team is leading our crowd at games. Our team is loud, energetic, full of spirit and they just love cheering for the Pirates.”
Senior Captain Erika Warren is one of only a few young ladies who has three state championships under her belt in Crandall. Warren said, “It’s an honor and privilege to be a part of such a strong cheer tradition, and to help lead a team that has the drive and motivation to compete at the highest level possible.”
The most humbling part of this whole experience for the Crandall Cheer team was how they finished out the competition. Not only were they 5A Division II State Champions, but they had the highest score out of every team in all the divisions competing at State with a score of 94.65! This score alone is something that could only have been dreamt of by a team in its first year in 5A competition. Junior Captain Berielle Best and sophomore cheerleader Gracie Collins attested to what an accomplishment this was for them personally and as a whole for the team. Best said, “The most rewarding thing was competing with my teammates and hearing the crowd cheer for us.” The common theme with everyone I spoke to about the Crandall Cheer team was their devotion to the team and doing whatever it took to win State. Collins said it best, “There is no better feeling in the world than coming off of the mat with your team knowing that each of us left our hearts out on the mat!”
The Crandall Cheer team is going into the offseason on top of the world and already preparing to defend their championship next season. Congratulations to the Crandall Pirate Cheer Team! 2021 5A Division II State Champions!
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