For the first time in AHS history, the girls varsity cheer team qualifies for the regional cheer tournament. The Patriot District cheer tournament was held on Wednesday, October 21 at Lake Braddock Secondary School. The team placed 4th in the first round, knocking out MT Vernon, TC Williams, West Potomac and Woodson. This allowed them to move on to the second round of the tournament.

“Getting into the top four and moving on was amazing,” said head coach Craigin Winkler. “The team has worked so hard and knowing that we were so close to getting fourth place and knowing it was in our reach pushed the team more than ever.”

The team worked very hard to create and perfect a difficult routine to present to the judges. They added harder stunts, such as a kick-fold basket toss. They also made their routine more crowd appealing, because that is a component of the routine that judges look for.

“We were surprised and very excited once we knew we were moving on because Woodson normally doesn’t place fifth,” Senior Vincent Rollins said.

In the second round, the cheer team placed 3rd, tying with Lake Braddock, which placed them in 4th for the overall tournament. The score for the regional placement is a combined score from the first and second rounds. The regionals tournament will be held at Patriot High School on Saturday, October 24 at 12:10 pm. The Atoms, along with 8 other teams, will all be competing to move on to the regional finals.