By Alan Van Ormer
Tribune interim manager

Competitive cheer has only been a sanctioned sport for two years in South Dakota. In each of those two years, Dell Rapids has won the Class A small team cheer stunting and tumbling division at the State tourney. The latest coming on Nov. 15 at the Summit and Activity Center in Yankton.
Coach Magen Richeal had a pretty good idea the girls would place first.
They had done it in seven out of eight earlier events.
The Quarriers ended the season first among all small squads – A, B and AA – stunting and tumbling and second in Class A stunting and tumbling.
“It was a state title,” she said. “You can place first at all of those and not place first at the state and not get any recognition.”
But this team did place first and did get the recognition.
The team consists of two seniors: Hillary McQuade and Jenna McGee; three juniors: Marisa Rueb, Julie Eddy and Amanda Kahler; four sophomores: Megan Rueb, Samantha Kohnen, Rachel Hansen and Brittni Steinke; and one ninth grader: Julia Brust.
Dell Rapids scored 214 points at the State tournament, one of only two A schools and nine overall to score more than 200 points. A perfect score is 300 points.
The key for the champions was consistency and cleanliness in their routines.
Richeal stresses cleanliness because she said it is a huge part of cheerleading. “We want to be polished,” she said. “The judges seem to like that.”
The quest for a second state title actually started during a two week period in August.
During that time, the group of 10 girls practiced each day for more than two hours for two weeks. After school started, they were back on the floor twice a week.
The workouts focused on jump drills and conditioning and running.
“It all clicked,” said junior Marisa Rueb. “It didn’t take too long.”
The routine consisted of two minutes of cheer and dance. During the year, the girls continued to make the stunts more complicated and difficult.
“We had to put together something that works for the whole team,” said Hillary McQuade, one of only two seniors on the squad. “We have to make sure it is clean. We want it to look polished.”
Richeal said the team improved on the routine as the year went along. “Once we’ve perfected the level, we bump it up and make it more difficult,” she said. “We make sure we keep it up to other school’s level of competition.”
McQuade said the routine became tougher as the year went on. “Everyone was improving,” she said.
The road to State wasn’t without a setback or two.
Close to the state competition, one of the base girls – Julie Eddy - broke her arm and the team had to change stunts a week before the competition.
“Maybe it helped us,” Richeal said. “It made us work harder. It definitely builds team spirit. You rely on that person. You need them otherwise you can’t compete.”
Then in Yankton, the girls watched all day as team after team competed. The Quarriers were the third from last team to perform.
“We wanted to go and do it and get it out of the way,” Rueb said. “It was difficult watching everyone do so well knowing we had to live up to those expectations.”
But when it was show time, the Quarriers did their two-minute routine and walked away with the championship trophy for the second consecutive season.