The varsity cheer team from River Ridge High School in Lacey recently won a WIAA state championship in the 3A Game Day competition. The competition was held at Battle Ground High School on January 24-25, 2025. This was the third straight year the team has won a state title. The team also achieved a second-place trophy in the 2A/3A/4A Small Traditional Tumbling category.
The team placed ninth place in the Small Game Day Non-Tumbling at a Nationals competition in Florida at the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship. The championships were held in Orlando, Florida, on February 5, 2025.
The team includes a traditional tumbling team with 12 athletes and a Game Day Team that also has 12 athletes. The nationals Game Day team had 14 athletes.
Head coach Tia Kutz is impressed with her team’s athleticism, work ethic and kindness. “The time commitment to be a River Ridge cheerleader is definitely extensive and they practice five days a week plus games and competitions,” Kutz remarked. “We are a strong program and my coaches, we do everything in-house, such as choreography, music, and training, and I believe this helps our athletes as they are put in the routine in places they can succeed and feel good about themselves.”
Tryouts start on March 21 for the 2025-2026 season. The team has JV and varsity squads. The teams also offer sideline-only options, and tryouts for athletes moving over the summer. This has included foreign exchange students in the past couple years and military families.
“We have a lot of interest from our eighth graders going into their freshman year and current students wanting a chance to join something amazing.” Said Kutz. “We are so excited to grow the River Ridge cheer program.”
Sponsored
