Feb. 1 seemed like a normal evening basketball game. Parents were cheering, teams were playing, and coaches were yelling. However, it seemed more packed than usual.

During halftime of the game against Gill St. Bernard’s, the competition cheerleading team performed its national championship routine. The team will be traveling to Orlando, Florida, to compete in the 2018 UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship from Feb. 9-13. This is the first time the competition team will be traveling to compete in this tournament as it is also the first year HHS has fielded a competition squad.

Of the 16 members on the varsity cheerleading team, 14 of them are on the competition team.

“Being on the comp team is different than cheering for any kind of game because you have a whole routine and sequence to do and memorize and perfect and it definitely takes lots of effort and drive,” sophomore Nadia Elkabbani said.

The Hillsborough competition team hopes to travel to nationals, perform its routine successfully, and place high. Irregardless of the results, the team has been training and practicing hard and should be proud, no matter the results.