ROCKINGHAM — Four groups from a local cheerleading team were crowned state champions at a competition this weekend at Dorton Arena in Raleigh.
Champions in Motion Richmond County Elite, led by the sister-brother head-coaching team of Cassie Tyler and Colby Patrick, took 154 athletes to the event, where they competed against 170 teams from across North Carolina.
The four top teams were:
Level 1 – 4-6 years old (pictured at top)
Level 2 – 7-9 years old
Level 3 – 10 and up
Level 7 – All-Star Tryout Team – 9 and up
The Level 4 and Level 6 teams also placed second.
Autumn Hoffman, Laila Watkins and Leah McLeod currently serve as assistant coaches.
All teams, according to Tyler, will be eligible to compete at the national competition, scheduled for July 17-18 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Tyler said this was the first “full-throttle” competition since before the COVID pandemic.
In 2019, the group brought home six first-place wins from the state competition in Fayetteville.
The group has two national wins from 2015 and 2019, she said.
Champions in Motion, which was started by Tyler and Patrick in 2011, practices at Falling Creek gym in Rockingham and the new season starts Feb. 21. Students range in age from 4 to 18.
For more information, contact Tyler at cassie@championsinmotion.com.
Level 4
Level 6