Special to The Post-Searchlight
Bainbridge High School cheerleaders have been traveling to cheerleading competitions for years, some as far north as Forsyth. In the past several years, the Bainbridge Middle School cheerleaders have joined them in their travels and thus created a pretty sizeable following of supporters for the two groups. After a lot of planning and hard work, the BMS and BHS Cheerleading Booster Clubs have joined forces and are hosting the inaugural Bearcat Cheer Kick-Off Classic. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17, and will be held at the BHS gymnasium at 1 Bearcat Blvd., beginning at 11 a.m. for the middle school division and 1 p.m. for the JV/varsity divisions.
There are 12 squads registered for the event from surrounding counties in Georgia. Some of those squads include Colquitt County, Lowndes County, Tift County, Valdosta, Americus-Sumter, Westover, Worth County, Berrien County, Eighth Street Middle-Tifton and Grace Christian Academy. The BMS and BHS cheerleaders will also be participating in their respective divisions. Although the Bearcat cheerleaders are not allowed to place in the event due to acting as the event hosts, they will be performing their competition routines for the judges and receiving valuable feedback for future competitions this season.
Supporters will also be able to visit the booths of local vendors, enjoy great music with a lot of crowd involvement, enjoy great concessions and possibly win some great prizes. Buddy Bearcat is also expected to make an appearance.
Organizers said, “If you haven’t ventured out to a cheer competition before, it is time. The school spirit is at its highest and there is much fun to be had. Please come out and support the efforts of these groups so that we can make this an annual event. Don’t forget to wear your purple and gold.”