Manatee High varsity cheerleaders reclaim title at Manatee County Fair

— Manatee High School has reclaimed its status as the Manatee County Fair’s cheerleading champions as its varsity athletes took first place in the 2018 event at the fairgrounds in Palmetto.

Manatee High had won four straight varsity cheer titles at the Manatee County Fair — 2013 through 2016 — before Lakewood Ranch High unseated the Canes in 2017.

But on Monday, in the fair’s 23rd annual cheerleading competition, the varsity Canes bested Bayshore, which finished second, followed by Braden River and Palmetto high schools in third and fourth places respectively, said Cindy Patterson of the Manatee County Fair Association.

“Our girls did great,” said Manatee varsity cheer coach Stephanie Davis. “They were saying, ‘We just have to beat the other teams.’ I told them, ‘Just be better than you did last time and things will take care of themselves.’”

Lakewood Ranch High did not compete in the event this year, said Ina Baden, director of the cheer competition.

“They told us they had two injuries and two sick,” Baden said of Lakewood Ranch.

Manatee High brought 30 varsity athletes and 19 JV athletes to the fair event, Davis said. The Canes hope to continue their winning streak at the Florida State Regional in Plant City on Jan. 27, Davis added.

Southeast was the only other Manatee traditional high school missing from the Fair competition this year, Baden said.

In the Junior Varsity competition, Braden River High took first place followed by Manatee, Palmetto and Bayshore, Patterson said.

A crowd of about 700 witnessed the competition in the Mosaic Arena.

“It went well,” Baden said. “All the competitors were very excited and all were good sports. They all worked very hard. It’s tough to win this event.”

Manatee’s varsity cheer team got $700 for winning and Bayshore took home $500 for second place, part of a total pay-out this year of $3,200 that goes to help the schools replace uniforms, take cheer trips for competitions and other expenses, Baden said.

“Our winnings will go toward uniforms and equipment,” Davis said.

“Over the course of 23 years the fair’s cheer sponsors, which are the fair board and Centerstate Bank, have given out more than $45,000 to the schools,” Baden said. “I always tell them this is better than a car wash for raising money. I encourage all schools to compete.”

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Manatee High varsity cheerleaders reclaim title at Manatee County Fair."