The Minnesota Jets are excited to have qualified for Nationals during their first season as a team. The Minnesota Jets is a youth organization formed earlier this year for students in the Big Lake (and surrounding) areas to compete in cheerleading.
The team started their season in a rush, quickly throwing together a board of directors and organizing a cheer clinic. They didn’t have high expectations for the clinic’s turnout, but were pleasantly surprised when 22 students showed up for the event. Since then, it’s been “pedal to the metal” according to organization president Annette Sowada Balken. The cheerleaders have been working very hard to make sure their skills were up to snuff. And their hard work definitely paid off. They recently visited the UCA Regional Competition in Milwaukee, WI. This was one of the later competitions in the season that would give the team a ticket to nationals if they placed well enough. Sure enough, the athletes put on a stellar performance and earned their ticket to the national competition.
“We didn’t really expect anything, but then we got it!” said Ashley, one of the Nationals-bound cheerleaders.
Coach Derek Nelson stated, “In seven years of coaching cheerleading, I have NEVER seen an entire team come off a mat, drop to their knees and cry, exhausted, and with pure happiness with how incredible their performance was... Seriously, it was incredible.”
Team captain, Lilly, noted that only four of the student athletes have gone to nationals previously (as part of the Big Lake Hornets team). The students are so excited to be going as a team during their first season, and it will be a new experience for many of the students who have not been to nationals previously. The competition will take place in Orlando in March of 2023.
Fundraising
President Annette noted that the team would need to raise around $40,000 to pay for the trip for the whole team, and so the students are already planning some hard work to raise the funds.
On Sunday, December 18, the team was found helping out at the Monticello Culver’s from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They cleared tables and ran orders in exchange for a small percentage of the restaurant’s sales that day. They also accepted donations directly from the customers.
On February 4th, the team will be holding a “Bows and Brews” fundraiser at Lupulin Brewing in Big Lake. A silent auction, music, and brews will be available from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
On Super Bowl Sunday, February 12, the team will be found at Cub Foods in Monticello, bagging groceries for tips.
The team is also looking for potential sponsorships from local businesses.
The team has other plans in the works as well in order to pay their way to Orlando, and updates will be available on the team’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/MinnesotaJets.
The team also wished to express their gratitude to anyone who attended their Trail of Terror event. They appreciated the turnout and the support from the community.
