Local cheerleading teams are preparing for the state championships Saturday in Portland. For some Ridgeview High School cheerleaders, that will be a chance to make up for not getting to go last season.

Ridgeview was only able to take part in one competition in 2016 because of injuries. Coach Shantell Benedictus said teams are required to compete twice to qualify for state.

But this year, the team is not only competing — it’s succeeding. The Ravens finished second in the Class 5A division at the Jan. 28 Sheldon Invitational in Eugene.

Despite starting the year with a new coach and with four new competition cheerleaders on the squad of 10, the team is making progress, Benedictus said.

“We started the year as a building year. We started from the beginning and didn’t have a lot of stunting experience,” said Benedictus, referring to the lifts and throws cheerleaders perform in competitions. “They’ve come a long way.”

Senior co-captain Tia Burdick views going back to state as a redemption for those who were there in 2015, she said.

“Last year we didn’t get to go,” she said. “The year before, we just barely missed placing.”

Competition is a bit more intense than cheering at games, said Benedictus, who cheered in high school and coached a middle school team in Idaho for four years. Not as many take part as in football, when 16 varsity girls were on the team along with 11 junior varsity cheerleaders.

“For cheers at a game, they just learn the jumps, cheers and sideline dances,” she said. “Competition is a much larger routine, a lot more skill involved.”

Cheerleaders also take part in boys and girls basketball home games. Some join sports teams or focus on academic activities after football ends.

Benedictus hopes to place at state this year. That would require a top-five finish.

The cheerleaders say the new coach makes a difference.

“We’re much more advanced this year,” said senior Stephanie Purkey, the team’s other co-captain. “I think we work together better than last year.”

Benedictus is not afraid to step in and help the girls with holding one of the cheerleaders up. But she’s not just doing it as a courtesy.

“I can figure out what’s going wrong with the stunt, why it’s not hitting,” she said. “Just by the feel of it.”

Cheerleaders say they practice for up to three hours at a time, including weekends. Getting support from people who come to the events to cheer them on makes it worth it.

“It does take a lot of your spare time,” Purkey said.

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman