Boys on cheer squad help lift team to state

The Post Falls cheerleading team plans to strong-arm the state competition with help from a few new guys on the team.

Several of the team’s male cheerleaders went on to North Idaho College last year, leaving a few spots open for newcomers. The team includes four boys and 15 girls. Three of the boys on the team were recruited this year.

“They helped us develop the routine and we worked at perfecting it,” said Dawn Smith, cheerleading coach for Post Falls High School. “Once we hit it, they raised the bar.”

Smith said the new guys are doing well and have become strong tumblers. All were self-taught within the last few months and are developing their skills outside practices at Funtastics Gymnastics in Coeur d’Alene.

Zak Karlgaard started with the team as a freshman after trying several other sports. Now a junior, he’s been to one state competition and hopes to do well this year.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I can’t wait. We always have a blast when we go down there.”

He first learned how to tumble at Funtastics and now works as a coach there. He’s helping the new guys on the team. They meet and work out after practice three times a week.

Karlgaard said while cheerleading is as physically demanding as football, it still takes a lot of hard work and the guys have to be in good shape. During the team’s two-minute routine, the guys are either holding girls in the air or tumbling.

“I think people are starting to respect us because of what we do,” he said.

Smith said the team has taken several competition wins back to Post Falls with the new male crew and a handful of senior girls on the team whose tumbling skills have boosted the team’s motivation. The team is confident another state win is on its way, she said.

“Our goal is to go down there and take first,” said Smith.

The state competition starts next Saturday in Boise. The team has been to state competitions for the past five years and has taken first place in the co-ed division and overall for points earned in dance, cheer, tumbling and choreography. This year, they hope to bring home an overall win again.

Smith said the team is made up of strong athletes who run, pole vault and jump hurdles outside of cheerleading.

Leslie Pulley, a senior, hopes to take her cheerleading skills to the college level. She’s considering Morehead State University in Kentucky, Hawaii Pacific and Texas State University.

Looking back over her four years on the team, she said the team has improved tenfold. She said she’s learned several difficult moves, including a back flip in the air while spinning on an axis.

“Just seeing how much we’ve done until now is amazing,” she said.

The team holds two-hour practices four nights a week, and during the football season, they attend all Friday night games. During winter, they perform at basketball, volleyball and wrestling matches. In addition, they show their skills in several parades.

In all, the cheerleading season runs from August to June each year.

“The kids and I have developed it from nothing to a whole lot of something,” Smith said.

Jessica Kuhn, a junior, started cheerleading last year. She said the team is confident of a state win and will still be proud of their improvement either way.

“I think I’ve learned more in the past two years about teamwork and friendship than any in my life,” she said.