SLS 22RS-3185 ORIGINAL 2022 Regular Session SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 139 BY SENATOR WARD COMMENDATIONS. Commends the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold team for winning the gold medal at The Cheerleading Worlds competition held on April 24, 2022. 1 A RESOLUTION 2 To commend the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold team for winning the gold medal at The 3 Cheerleading Worlds competition held on April 24, 2022, in Orlando, Florida. 4 WHEREAS, Louisiana Cheer Force is a competitive cheerleading gym located in 5 Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and 6 WHEREAS, the gym offers seventeen competitive teams consisting of more than 7 three hundred fifty athletes ranging in age from three to twenty-two; and 8 WHEREAS, the athletes come from all over Louisiana including Baton Rouge, New 9 Orleans, Slidell, Houma, Hammond, Mandeville, and Covington; and 10 WHEREAS, the coaching staff at Louisiana Cheer Force places a high emphasis on 11 building self-confidence, determination, and team-supported skills and values with each and 12 every athlete they coach in the sport of competitive cheerleading; and 13 WHEREAS, the athletes work extremely hard for eleven months each year training 14 to compete at local, national, and international competitions; and 15 WHEREAS, on April 24, 2022, the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold team took home top 16 honors after winning the gold medal in their category at The Cheerleading Worlds 17 competition in Orlando, Florida; and 18 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold team consists of athletes ranging in Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 139 SLS 22RS-3185 ORIGINAL 1 ages thirteen to twenty-two; and 2 WHEREAS, competing at the highest level in the sport, the Gold team is a level six 3 coed team consisting of twenty-three athletes: nineteen girls and four boys; and 4 WHEREAS, this is a huge win and a first for the state of Louisiana; and 5 WHEREAS, Louisiana Cheer Force first put Louisiana on the map for cheerleading 6 at The Cheerleading Worlds in 2014 when they won a bronze medal, and again in 2019 when 7 the Gold team brought home the silver medal; and 8 WHEREAS, this year was the fifteenth year for Louisiana Cheer Force to attend The 9 Cheerleading Worlds; and 10 WHEREAS, approximately five hundred forty-four teams competed at this year's 11 prestigious international event; and 12 WHEREAS, only elite athletes and teams compete at this event after earning a bid 13 to attend and compete by scoring high enough at a national championship qualifying event 14 held earlier in the season; and 15 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold team competed against teams from the 16 USA, Mexico, Canada, Spain, England, and Germany; and 17 WHEREAS, while it is not uncommon for the final rankings at a competition event 18 to come down to tenths of a point separating the winners, the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold 19 team won the competition this year by a landslide, beating out all the other teams by more 20 than ten points; and 21 WHEREAS, to win such a mega competition as The Cheerleading Worlds, athletes 22 need to be extremely committed to the sport and dedicate many years to training to reach 23 level six competition; and 24 WHEREAS, the majority of the athletes on the Gold team have trained for many 25 years at Louisiana Cheer Force; and 26 WHEREAS, some team members started training at age six or seven and they are 27 now sixteen and seventeen year olds; and 28 WHEREAS, these athletes become a tight group of friends due to spending many 29 months together each year training for their competitions; and 30 WHEREAS, these athletes all have excellent time management skills as several of Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 139 SLS 22RS-3185 ORIGINAL 1 the team members also compete in school sports and every athlete maintains excellent 2 academic grades; and 3 WHEREAS, the Gold team is coached by Rachael Pearson, Kay Schenk, Spencer 4 Day, Adam Eisler, and Ryan Barrow; and 5 WHEREAS, the athletes on this outstanding cheerleading team are: Katelyn Meliet, 6 Josie Moore, MyKenzie Mitchell, Charli Huffine, Jada Wesley, Jacob Tate, Sophia Huffine, 7 Mickinzi Knight, Caleb Judice, Natalie Sharrer, Mallory Bercegeay, Ella Kate Falgoust, 8 Clay Boos, Stephanie Sharrer, Layla Benson, Josie Viator, Jourdan Ortiz, Camille Jackson, 9 Madeline Bryant, Camille Boudreaux, Cassidy Young, Bailey Day, and Stevie Bercegeay. 10 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 11 does hereby commend the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold team for winning the gold medal at 12 The Cheerleading Worlds competition held on April 24, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. 13 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to 14 Rachael Pearson, Kay Schenk, Spencer Day, Adam Eisler, and Ryan Barrow. The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Kathy Liberty. DIGEST SR 139 Original 2022 Regular Session Ward Commends the Louisiana Cheer Force Gold team for winning the gold medal at The Cheerleading Worlds competition held on April 24, 2022. Page 3 of 3