The KS Maui varsity cheer squad came in first, just above the Lahainaluna Lunas at the MIL Cheerleading Competition on Nov. 3, 2012, at the Maui High School Gymnasium. The Warriors and Lunas will be competing for the state title on Oʻahu, Nov. 17, 2012.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Co-Head Coach Ann Saffery said. “They worked really hard.”

This is the second time the Kamehameha Maui varsity team has won the title of Maui Interscholastic League champs. They earned their first title last year at the 2011 championships where they came in first over the Baldwin High School Bears, who placed second.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” said Mikela Rindlisbacher, co-captain and senior.

The Warriors practiced six days a week with two practices on Saturdays, two and a half hours each day. They worked on stunt sequences, tumbling and conditioning. With an intense routine, the Warriors had to make sure their moves were executed flawlessly.

“We got our stunts done early,” Coach Saffery said. “We sent them in to check if they were legal to compete with.”

“We are the first team to practice at school,” Rindlisbacher said. “We are also the last ones to leave.”

The Warriors used a combination of quick and difficult stunts, going as far as having the highest flyer of the competition, junior Malia Molina.

This was not without consequence as the Warriors did drop one of their stunts during the complicated series of flying, tumbling and stunting. Regardless, the Warriors moved on from the mistake and continued their routine without any more.

The Lunas used impressive tumbling to win over the judges, playing it safe with a moderate difficulty level of stunts. The Lunas felt more determined to win for a fellow classmate and cheerleader currently battling cancer.

The Baldwin Bears, who came in third place, had an impressive start with a tumble straight into a stunt. However, the Bears dropped one stunt and almost failed two catches.

The Maui High Sabers, who came in fourth, chose the safe route, using a slow routine to avoid dropping any stunts.

King Kekaulike High School did not compete this year.

KS Maui also took second place in the junior varsity division behind Baldwin High School and ahead of Maui High School. Neither Lahainaluna nor King Kekaulike High Schools fielded a jv squad at this year’s competition.