The Smoky Mountain Senior Sapphires and Mini Diamonds Competitive Cheer Teams recently won awards at local events. The teams competed at the Spirit Xpress Varsity Brand cheer competition held in Asheville on Saturday, Jan. 26. The Senior Sapphires won first place in the Senior Rec. Division and the Mini Diamonds won second place in the Youth Rec. Division. Both teams received invitation-only bids to compete at the U.S. Finals, a prestigious end-of-season competition held at eight cities throughout the country.
Both teams then competed in the Smoky Mountain Showdown held by Greater Midwest Cheer Expo in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. on Saturday, Feb. 2. Both teams won second place in their respective divisions and competed against eight other teams from the southeast and midwest United States. Both teams received invitation-only bids to compete at The One, a unique end-of-season event offered to top teams in North America, held at four cities throughout the country.