Two local cheer teams new to competition is already flipping over opponents.
Cheer Skillz in Taylor, led by coach Jamie Chepulis, is a new gym in Taylor and has already won multiple competitions, including nationals. “It is our first competitive
“It is our first competitive cheer season ever,” she said.
The gym has been in Taylor a little over two years, and has a new home in the Old Taylor High Gym.
The teams include a youth level team, Starz 1, and an elite level team, Mission 1 (M1). Both are competitively judged and have faced teams from the local area.
“They are first ever competitive athletes, and they are undefeated. First place in every competition they have ever been to,” Chepulis said of the youth level team.
The elite level team has won third, second and first place in competitions.
Recently, the Cheer Skillz teams received a bid to nationals after winning a previous competition. They competed in Fun Cheer Nationals at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio.
Starz competed against seven other teams from all over the state of Texas. M1 competed against five other teams from throughout Texas. Both teams won first place.
For the first-year gym, Chepulis said they would see teams from other parts of the state outside of the local teams they had been competing against.
“As coaches, we were a little nervous because we were going to see new gyms that we haven’t seen yet this season,” she said. “But, we know our kids and what they’re capable of.”
Coaches encouraged the teams to continue with the game plan that has been working all season.
“We told them to go there and do what you’ve been doing in practice, what you’ve been doing this season because it’s working and we’ve been winning,” Chepulis said. “They went out and they did just that.”
Being a first-year gym and competing with other larger more experienced gyms would be intimidating to some, but Chepulis had confidence from winning other competitions.
“I felt pretty empowered, and I think the rest of our coaching staff did as well,” she said. “We knew that (other gyms) knew Cheer Skillz was coming to nationals.”
She said a first-year gym winning multiple competitions would catch the attention of longer-standing gyms. “We have had so
“We have had so much success with our kids this season, we just wanted them to go in and just have fun,” she said.
Although the team has been successful, coaches do not let it go to their students’ heads.
“Our kids, they are still getting use to it. Even though they have been winning, they still get nervous. They know each competition we’re going to see something new,” she said. “They’re always nervous even though they’re amazing and they have the ability. We always bring them back to, ‘this is for fun. This isn’t just to win.’”
Chepulis said the teams will head to a competition at Kalahari Resorts in Round Rock. Later, they will return to San Antonio for the world competition. The final competition of the year will be in South Padre, which is the biggest event of the year.
CHEER SKILLZ
MISSION ONE
Liberty Braden, Sophie Bridgman, Arizona Cantu, Camila Cortes, Isabella Cortes, Livia Cortines, Stella Cortines, Tilde Fowler, Aubri Gregory, Presley Marek, Bentley Marek , Clara Masters, Braelyn Moehnke, Chloe Nieves, Kambri Oglesby, Lila Tucek and Kylie Wilson
STARZ
Jadyn Biehle, Arizona Cantù, Livia Cortines, Stella Cortines, Aubree Dixon, Harper Doss, Teil Fillmore, Braelyn Moehnke, Brooklyn Naivar, Josie Niemtschk, Chloe Nieves, Ava Poloma, Ilsa Slone, Mia Valverde and Kylie Wilson.
