Cheerleaders do it again: 4-time MIL champs
National champs bring it again
Photo by Quinn Williams
The Kamehameha Maui varsity cheer team took home the gold and their 4th MIL championship on Saturday at King Kekaulikeʻs high school gym.
With three league titles already under their belts, Kamehameha Maui’s varsity cheer team walked away with a fourth championship at the Maui Interscholastic League Cheer Championship at the King Kekaulike High School gymnasium yesterday.
“I just wanted to make sure we did the best that we could do, even if we didn’t win, as long as it was our best,” said Chaston Abut, junior cheer team member and the only male on the team.
Varsity cheer teams from four Maui high schools competed this year, Kamehameha Maui, Baldwin, King Kekaulike, and Maui High.
The schools’ junior varsity cheer teams also competed, and the Warriors came in third, just three-quarters of a point behind the Maui High Sabers (240.75). Thirty points ahead in first place were the Baldwin Bears (270), and King Kekaulike placed fourth (196).
Refusing to be rattled by an awkward 20 seconds of dead air at the start of their performance, the varsity team came in a solid first place, earning with 322 points out of the a possible 375 points. Second place went to Baldwin (284.75), third place was Maui High (271.50), and finishing fourth was King Kekaulike (227.25).
“I thought it came out pretty well, I was surprised to see the competition this year,” senior captain Haliʻa Kekuewa said. “I was honestly really scared of Baldwin, but I guess we pushed through and came out on top.”
Abut said that it was “all the time we spent working on our stunts and tricks” that gave them the decisive victory.
Coach Keali’i Molina is once more behind the success of this year’s varsity competition team, which is made up of four seniors, three juniors, two sophomores, and one freshman, but Coach Molina said that he will not be returning next year to coach high school cheerleading.
“This is the end. I’m not coaching anymore next year, so I just want to have a really good last MIL’s,” he said.
Coach Molina, however, will not be disappearing from the cheer scene. He will have more time to devote to his club team, Hawaiʻi All-Star Cheer.
Abut, who cheers on both teams, said that he feels “sad because [Molina’s] a really good coach, and I might not cheer [at school] next year because I wouldn’t want to cheer for anyone else except him, but I’m oaky with it at the same time because he’ll be coaching me on my All-Star team.”
It’s still a little early for good-bye’s. Coach Molina will be at the helm for the rest of the year as the Kamehameha Maui cheerleaders gear up to defend both their state and national titles at the upcoming championships.
Though the team does have an impressive background, three-time MIL champions, 2014 state champions, and 2014 National Cheerleaders Association national champions, they were still anxious previous to Saturdayʻs competition.
“I was a little nervous because I didnʻt know how things were going to turn out, but in the end we gave it our all and came out on top,” said Hannah Patrick, co-captain and junior.
Keep your eyes the current state champs as they once again represent the MIL at the 2014 Zippy’s Cheerleading Championship on November 15.
GeAna Saffery • Nov 4, 2014 at 11:09 am
i was just wondering why you never mention the head coach and how hard she works? She does an amazing job and without her I don’t think all of these things are possible. Not saying Kealii doesn’t do a great job. It would be nice of you to show my mother the respect that she deserves. She gives all her time to theses girls yet not one mention.