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ALTON - The Alton High School cheerleading squad has been one of the top squads in state in recent years and in support of the group a Disco Bingo is set for 7 p.m., Saturday, July 15, at the Alton VFW.
The VFW is located at 4445 N. Alby in Alton and doors for the bingo open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. For advance sales: contact AHS Cheer Coach Bre Pettigrew at (618) 670-2491. All proceeds benefit Alton cheerleading.
Nadia Kambarian, cheer team coordinator for fund-raising events, said funds raised will benefit the cheerleaders with equipment and travel needs.
“We are trying to have fund-raisers for the cheerleaders and we want parents to know what to expect,” Kambarian said. “We have a disco bingo and a Turkey Trot in November. We use fund-raiser proceeds for uniforms, floor mats, new supplies and travel. I am super proud of all the cheerleaders on the team.”
For 2017-2018, the Alton cheerleaders will combine the varsity and junior varsity teams together. The two will have the same approaches to their training and work on skill levels, she said.
Coach Pettigrew provided these reasons for Why Alton Cheerleaders chose the Disco Bingo as a fund-raising event:
“Even though our Alton Athletic Association does a great job of supporting our program in handling our larger expenses, fund-raising helps our cheer families in particular,” she said. “Cheerleading is a unique sport where it requires students to get involved with dance, gymnastics, stunt camps, and even weight training. This such training leads to costly expenses for our teams.
“In addition to the team training, smaller expenses quickly rack up for our families with our sport being year round. We're also interested in revamping our team look for our Fall Sideline, and JV/Varsity competitive teams. To accomplish all of these things, we wanted to be creative in providing a new fund-raising event for the Alton community. Bingo is a classic pastime, so for extra fun we added the music and dance moves to hopefully make the night one to remember.”
Alton High School Cheerleaders Highlights 2016-2017
Head Coach: Breonna Pettigrew
Assistant Coach: Chakia Everage
Assistant Coach: Aaron Elliott
Recap of Last Competitive Season 2016-17:
Highland ICCA Regional: 2nd Place ?
Edwardsville ICCA Regional: 4th Place ?
ICCA Championships, Springfield IL: 5th Place ?
IHSA Invitational hosted by Stagg High School: 7th Place ?
IHSA Sectionals: 7th Place ?
Head Coach's Pettigrew’s Other Comments On 2016-2017
"We had a breakout 2016-2017 seasons,” Pettigrew said. “At the ICCA State Championships our cheerleaders made school history by being the first Alton cheer squad to place among the Top five teams and earning our program's first competitive trophy. Our success continued at the IHSA Sectional competition where our cheerleaders set another record high by placing seventh and ending the season performing their best routine ever!
“Not only did our cheerleaders make ground breaking accomplishments for our program competitively, but they also conquered every challenge they faced. This was a season of many firsts! Our squad broke gender barriers welcoming new male cheerleaders.
“This officially placed us in the IHSA Co-Ed division for competition, which was new territory for us. Even better, our cheerleaders took the idea of good sportsmanship to a whole new level. We made it a priority to support our football, wrestling, and basketball teams in addition to supporting cheerleaders from other schools. AHS cheer also loves providing helping hands for the Alton community. The heartwarming and inspiring experiences we have from volunteering carry us throughout the season. Last season was so rewarding, and we're very excited to be back for a new season."
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