Recently, the Minnesota Jets, youth cheerleading association based in the Big Lake/Monticello area, won a championship title in the national arena. The team put on a spectacular performance with zero deductions to their score. They defied the odds in their first year as a team to give a stunning performance demonstrating their amazing skills.

Road to Victory

The Minnesota Jets team formed last fall and hit the ground running. As a group not associated with any school athletics, they were only able to meet once per week, but the student athletes took that weekly meeting and made the most of it. 

In December, the team won their bid for the national competition, and had to “do a 180.” according to Coach Derek Nelson. The students started practicing twice a week and working on even more advanced stunts to bring into their routine. They got help from Planet Spirit, an all-star gym out of Golden Valley.

Throughout the winter, the students continued to work on their routine and also on fundraising to get to the competition. They went from needing each athlete to pay $1,000 out of pocket to only $500 with generous help from donors around the community. 

Even with all their dedication, the team was nervous as they got to their competition. With some students being out sick each week, the team had not once run the routine with everyone together. But, their fears were unfounded as their skills carried them to the top.

Competition

The team competed in the 2.1 Traditional Recreation 10-18 nonaffiliated (aka not with a school) division. They took second place in the semifinals, which earned them the opportunity to move on to the final round. They then went on to claim the championship. They were one of only two teams to have no deductions in either round (the other being a team in a different division.) 

Nelson said there was one edge above all others that helped the team claim the title: The team was there to have fun. Even though they had worked incredibly hard, it was clear that each and every student was having a blast and was so happy to be there, and that, in essence, is what cheerleading is all about. The Minnesota Jets proved that a positive spirit and hard work makes amazing things happen, even when the odds are against them.