There's something electric about watching a gym full of kids who've been practicing since October finally hit that floor.
The 2024 SDHSAA Class A State Competitive Cheer & Dance Competition — broadcast live on South Dakota Public Broadcasting — delivered exactly that kind of energy. And honestly? It exceeded expectations.
I've watched a lot of these events over the years. The smaller school divisions tend to get overlooked in favor of the big-name programs. But Class A? It's where you find the rawest hunger. Teams from towns you've never heard of, pouring everything into two minutes and thirty seconds on a gymnasium floor.
The Cheer Squats Brought Precision That'd Make a Drill Sergeant Jealous
Every jump was identical. Every arm placement snapped at the same angle. One squad — I won't spoil it for those who haven't watched the broadcast — ran a sequence of basket tosses so tight that the crowd audibly gasped between catches. That kind of synchronization doesn't happen by accident. It's hundreds of hours in a high school gym, drilling counts until the music lives in your bones.
The dance teams told a different story. Where cheer leans on power and sharpness, the dance competitors traded in fluidity and emotion. Several routines blended contemporary movement with jazz and even hip-hop inflections — a creative risk that paid off. You could feel the audience leaning forward during one particularly haunting lyrical piece that used silence as effectively as the music.
What Surprised Me Most Wasn't the Talent. It Was the Sportsmanship.
Competitions breed tension. Stakes are real — scholarships, school pride, bragging rights in towns where everyone knows everyone. But here, something different was happening. Teams sat in the stands cheering for their direct competitors. After routines, athletes from rival schools hugged. One squad's captain was caught on camera clapping enthusiastically for the team ranked right above them.
That kind of support isn't performative. You can't fake the way these kids looked at each other. Coaches deserve enormous credit for building cultures where winning matters, but not more than character.
The Judges Earned Their Keep
The feedback from the panel was specific and actionable — not the vague platitudes you sometimes hear at lower-level events. They called out timing breakdowns, flagged formations that drifted, and praised genuine artistry when they saw it. For the athletes watching the broadcast replay later, those critiques are gold. It's free coaching from people who've spent decades in the sport.
South Dakota's Cheer and Dance Scene Is Quietly Getting Really Good
The talent pipeline keeps improving. More schools are investing in dedicated coaching. Athletes are training year-round in studio settings alongside their school seasons. The result showed on that floor — routines that wouldn't look out of place at a regional competition in states with much larger populations.
If you missed the broadcast, track it down. These aren't just "small-town kids doing their best." They're athletes pushing boundaries, artists telling stories, and competitors who'll shake your hand after beating you. That combination is rare anywhere in sports — and South Dakota's Class A has it in spades.
