By Tasha Gorman
Moapa Valley Progress
Decked out in sharp blue and white cheerleading uniforms, sporting identical braids and glittery ponytails, 38 girls proudly representing Moapa Valley cheered and danced their hearts out in Mesquite on Saturday, April 30 at the Dancing in the Desert competition.
The competition featured cheerleaders, dancing groups and solo dancers from Mesquite, Moapa Valley and the St. George, Utah area.
Moapa Valley’s “Mini Lil’ Pirates” and “Lil’ Pirates” is a cheerleading program that is offered through the local Clark County Parks and Recreation. The “Mini Lil Pirates” are preschool-2nd grade girls and the “Lil Pirates” are 3rd-5th grade girls. Both groups performed a cheer and a dance that they had been practicing for several months under the direction of coach, Jeannien Hancock.
It was the first competition that the teams had participated in, and Hancock was proud of the performances. “They only practice one day a week, and they wowed the crowd with their precision and gleaming smiles,” Hancock said.
“They also had great sportsmanship, cheering the other groups on as they came on and as they left the floor,” Hancock added.
The “Mini Lil’ Pirates” and the “Lil Pirates” were also the only two teams to showcase the gymnastic abilities of its members. “With two girls from the older group and one in the younger group, their roundoff back hand-springs were crowd pleasers,” Hancock explained.
The “Mini Lil’ Pirates” team received third place in the group division and was the judges’ top pick for creativity. The “Lil’ Pirates” received the honor of being the “Most Entertaining” group.
