Chesapeake Cheer Team Takes Region Crown

By Amy Russell
The Chesapeake High School cheer leading squad won its sixth consecutive South Region champion this month by a nearly 12-point margin, continuing the program’s deep-rooted tradition of excellence.

The Cougars racked up 140.2 points, well ahead of Broadneck’s 128.66, South River’s 126.13 and Long Reach’s 117.66.
“Our South Region experience was awesome,” said long-time head coach Lisa Freburger. “We had an amazing performance. Each year we try to give ourselves a point goal we want to hit, and this year it was 140. We fell two points short when we won County – we got 138 - but we had two-tenths of a point to spare when we won the Region.”
The County crown was the team’s seventh consecutive title.
After the Region win, the Cougars sought their seventh consecutive state crown but, unfortunately, it wasn’t to be as Chesapeake came up just two-tenths of a point shy of South River, who the Cougars defeated by a cheer-landslide - more than 14 points - just a week earlier.
“With cheer leading being subjective sometimes it’s tough, which is why you have to always do your best,” said Freburger. “We weren’t flawless and I don’t think our performance factor was as hot as it was at the County meet and Regions. At the State level, the judges are looking for perfection. I knew it was close, South River really did an excellent job… they really did.”
Freburger said her team’s off-the-mat performance made her just as proud as their routines this year. “When they called South River for first place, my girls got on their feet and cheered,” said Freburger. “They were very respectful and congratulated South River on their win.”
Going forward, Freburger says she expects to continue to see big things for the team. “It was really hard for the seniors. Most of them have been on varsity together for four years, and it was a very emotional night for all of them from the beginning,” confessed Freburger. “But this is a great motivator. We’re already looking forward to tryouts for next fall.”