A third-place finish. Two record performances. A season still ahead. The Taylor cheer team is just getting started.
Only two competitions into the 2025 season, Taylor competitive cheer has climbed to No. 6 in the NAIA Scoring Average, placing them at the top of the Crossroads League and reaching No. 2 in the NAIA Cheer ARC Region 2 ratings.
The Trojans gained a best season-opening score of 81.63 for the program and placed second to Indiana Wesleyan University at the Indiana Wesleyan Wildcat Weekend Competition on January 17.
Though deducted points on a few touchdowns in tumbling and building falls, Senior flyer Emma Barile said a major component the team had been working on to improve their score was showmanship and performance.
“I really think cleaning up the routine, with the showmanship and timing made up for whatever deductions we did. Overall, I was so impressed with the team,” Barile said.
At the Missouri Baptist Spartan Showcase on Feb. 1, they not only corrected their deductions but increased their score by over seven points for a total of 89.2, setting a program record and a third-place score.
This also stands almost six points greater than their score at Missouri last season, an 83.45, sixth-best in program history.
“It was crazy to be battling for a top-three spot against two teams that are truly prolific in the NAIA,” head coach Hannah Kirby said. “We narrowly lost to Cumberlands and Missouri Valley, who both put out great routines that night—but it was surreal to even be considered in the same league as them. These are excellent teams that are NAIA legends, consistently qualifying for nationals and placing high every year. Competing that closely with them was an exciting moment for our team and showed just how far we’ve come!”
Freshman backspot Owen Gerig commented on the uniqueness of mutual team encouragement at competitions, including ones against rival IWU and the Missouri competition.
He said through excitement and nerves, cheering for their competitors encourages all teams. In previous sports, he hadn’t witnessed that before.
“In other sports, you play them and it’s done, but, for us, if you compete, you get off of the mat and then start cheering for the other teams, which was really cool and exciting,” Gerig said.
Barile attributed coach Kirby’s dedication to the team’s growth as a major contributing factor. She also championed the persistence and dedication of each team member as they continued throughout the season.
“Our coach has put blood sweat and tears into building this program, and it just feels so good to know that she’s being rewarded for everything that she is putting in,” Barile said.
As they look forward to continuing their momentum at the Florida Face-Off in Kissimmee, FL on Feb. 15, the Trojans look to add more difficulty scores in certain areas. Gerig said that the opportunity to break into the 90s is a challenge the team is looking forward to.
“We could have a chance to break the school record back to back, which is really cool. Being a part of a team that breaks the record two in a row and then keeps progressing forward, that’s exciting,” he said.
Though the team has had amazing success so far, they have also been building for the past four years of program construction, a foundation and process that has shaped their journey.
Coach Kirby expressed the importance of the foundation to the success of the cheer program.
“The outcomes of our season in these early stages reflects the talent God has given our team and their hard work, selflessness, and dedication since day one in August,” she said. “But, it’s also built on the foundation laid by teams one to four, who put in so much unseen and unglamorous work to get our program here. This isn’t an overnight success—it’s been a journey from year one.”
