The Hancock County High Coed Cheerleading squad recorded its highest ever
finish in state competition February, finishing sixth. The KAPOS competition
occurred at Western Kentucky University's Y.A. Diddle arena. Hancock County
competed in the small coed division, which consisted of 12 other teams.

"Several of the teams compete at a national level," head coach Aimee Estes
said. "They were very competitive teams we were up against. For us to finish
sixth in a small coed division is great for us."
Estes said Reidland High School placed first, with Central Hardin High
School taking second. McCreary Central finished third, and Russell County 2
fourth. Madison Southern High School took fifth, with Hancock County only a
few points behind.

Estes said over the past several years, the sport of cheerleading enjoyed
strong growth at Hancock County High. She said it now possesses the ability
to compete with the larger schools in the area.

Overall, the sport enjoys strong support statewide, Estes said. She said an
extremely large crowd jammed into Diddle Arena to watch the KAPOS finals
competition.

"The kids performed really well," Estes said. "We were really pleased."

Estes said recruiters from several large universities attended the
competition looking for talent for their cheerleading squad. Today, most
large universities provide athletic scholarships for their cheerleaders.

With the growth in coed cheerleading, these schools concentrate on finding
male cheerleaders for their squads.

Estes said recruiters from the University of Alabama, Kentucky and Western
watched the competition. She said in past events, recruiters from the
University of Memphis also viewed the finals.