Inductees

There is no denying that competitive cheerleading is legit these days.

Just check out the commons area of Grain Valley High School, where the large set of cases house an abundance of state championship trophies earned by the cheerleading program. And then walk into the gym, where you’ll find record boards documenting regional and state competitions.

In other words, it’s one of the state’s sports powerhouses and why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Grain Valley High School Cheerleading Program with the Class of 2022.

Grain Valley Cheer began competing in 1992 and has won 18 state championships, which cover the years 2003 to 2005, 2009 to 2014 and 2016 to 2021. Linda Sallee coached from 2003 to 2008, and then Delanne Carlson has coached since.

The 1992 team, coached by Kay Bult, kick-started the run by placing first at regionals and then seventh out of 13 teams at state. In 2012, the program became so large that it competed with two separate varsity squads (Class 3 Small All-Girls & Co-Ed Large). That season, it won state titles in both divisions and continued to do so through 2014.

Since 2016, its state titles have been in Class 4. The program also was state runner-up in 1993, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2015.

Overall, it’s a success story bound by support of the community, district administrators and other sports coaches, and of course the dedication of cheerleaders and coaches.

Kay Bult coached with Kelly Lee and Kevin Altemeyer in the early years. Until 1992, the cheer focus was solely on school spirit and crowd-leading.

However, Lee was the driving force behind the decision to compete, with a goal of creating a higher quality of cheerleading and, potentially, to provide college scholarship opportunities.

“The (seventh-place finish in 1992) validated that competition was exciting and beneficial for the program, and was certainly a big motivator for the future,” Bult said.

Sallee strengthened the foundation. A former Grain Valley cheerleader, she had coached a competitive Pop Warner team, the Gators, which competed three consecutive years at nationals. That core group was in place upon her arrival as the varsity coach.

“Together, we had the work ethic and desire to be competitive and teamwork in place,” Sallee said, and later added, “The girls and I had a good foundation coming into the program and an idea of what it would take to win Grain Valley’s first state title. But we had to build on the early years.”

Grain Valley won the 2003 state title by one point, having overcome rival Macon.

Through the years, many coaches’ significant contributions led to the program’s success, including Melissa Romero, Jillian Knudsen, Julie Taylor, Caycee Hays, Kathryn Whetstone, Megan Kaldenberg-Carzo, Marissa Lang, Brittani Tiefenbrunn and Ashley Bosserman.

And then there were the dedicated cheerleaders. The team typically has about 20 members, and coaches adjusted routines to fit their skill sets.

“Fortunately, the culture we’ve created brings in kids who want to grow and develop their skills,” Carlson said.

Ahead of the season, each candidate is interviewed by the coaching staff, and prospective cheerleaders must submit teacher evaluations.

Summers are spent working on skill development. The routine is choreographed in the fall. Cheerleaders practice twice a week for roughly three hours. As school moves beyond mid-September, they also spend one day a week working on tumbling skills with a trained staff at a local gym.

In 2009, the team implemented core values and guiding principles known as the five A’s of Excellence: Academics, Attendance, Attitude, Ability and Accountability.

About 20 cheerleaders have earned All-State, and many have worked for the National Cheerleading Association and the Universal Cheerleaders Association. Numerous Grain Valley cheerleaders also have competed in NCAA Division I, Division II and NAIA.

In 2016, Grain Valley was awarded the MCCA Community Service Award for its volunteer participation in events for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Race for the Cure KC, and Light the Night Cancer Survivors Walk Blue Springs.

Cheerleaders also collaborate with the dance team to run an annual “Little Eagles” cheer and dance clinic, which in 2021 drew nearly 200 kids. The middle school program also has boosted the varsity.

“We are very proud that the Grain Valley Cheer Program has consistently raised the bar for skill difficulty in the state of Missouri, but competitions are not won based solely on difficulty,” Carlson said. “It’s the execution that makes the biggest difference. That’s where I believe Grain Valley has had so much success.”