On Sunday, September 22, 2026, the Bethel Cheer team competed in their first cheerleading competition at Covington. The team placed third out of nine teams from all over Ohio. Several cheerleaders also competed in the High School Jump Competition. Junior Kenadie Turner placed in the top four best jumps in the high school division. This is an amazing accomplishment for the Bethel Cheer Team and Bethel schools as they add this new sport and get to watch it grow for years to come. The team has worked hard to learn the routine and new skills they can use in competition and on the sidelines.
The competition cheer team is led by captains Addisyn Kohorst, Bella Deiss, Brooke Statesman, and Gwen Buford. Kohorst, a senior, says that the team is “still extremely new to stunting, tumbling, and performing the way one is supposed to in a competition cheerleading performance.” The coaches are working hard with the girls to learn how the competition world works and help them be as prepared as possible. Kohorst said she was very nervous for her first competition and kept going over the routine in her head. The team was excited for this moment, and the girls came together to support each other and lift one another up in those anxious moments before performing.
After the competition, all the seniors were called up and were honored by the school and recognized for their hard work and dedication. The seniors are Kohorst, Deiss, Maddie Hoehn, and Ryleigh Tarburton. After that, the real awards began, and the team sat together, anxiously waiting to hear the results. Kohorst said that when they announced Bethel had won 3rd, the team “jumped with joy and excitement because it was truly a surreal experience.” Kohorst has cheered since kindergarten, so growing and winning with her team felt amazing. Kohorst said her favorite memory from high school was learning all the stunts. She said that when she first learned the shoulder stunts, she thought the team would never be able to do them, but now they can do them easily and even learn harder stunts. The team has been growing and putting in so much work to help be the best they can be…