COWBOY WAY-CONNORS CHEER
The Connors State cheer team of coach Clint Marcy will be looking for a number lower than two when they compete later this spring at the NCA Collegiate National Cheer competition in Daytona.
“We finished second there last year and so far this year we’ve finished second in the UCA Nationals in California and at the NJCAA National Championships in Kansas City,” said Marcy. “Finishing second last year at the NCA which is like the Supe Bowl of college cheer really made us hungry to win it all this year. Our girls have worked very hard and put forth some really clean routines this year with escalating degrees of difficulty each time. This is probably the most talented group I’ve had in my seven years at Connors. At the NCA event we’ll be competing against teams that we’ve been very close with all year so I’m excited to see how we do.”
One of the girls that has helped lead the way for the past two seasons is Candace Jewell who grew up in Savanna and graduated from McAlester.
“Candace is one of my veterans and I actually worked with her school some when she was at Savanna. She’s a phenomenal athlete and this year she’s become a really strong leader for our team. She’s at the top of our pyramid and is proficient in several advanced stunts we do,” said Marcy.
The road to cheer started early for Candace.
“I started dance when I was two and over the years when I went to watch my older brothers play football, I always admired the cheerleaders. I started cheering in middle school at Savanna, but we didn’t do a lot of different things there. I got to know Clint when he came to work with our school and knew I wanted to cheer for him in college. That’s one reason I chose Connors State and It was also close to home. When I visited, I saw that the athletes on the squad were really driven and that told me that Connors was a really serious program. I also learned some skills from those athletes when I visited and attended some practices. Our team this year works so well together and are always eager to help each other out. After all of these second-place finishes over the past year, our goal is turn that into a number one when we go to Daytona this year.”
Following her graduation from Connors, Candace plays to attend Arkansas Tech University in Russellville and cheer while continuing her studies in elementary education.
