Samo cheer returns to competition after four year hiatus

Mia Campos / Contributer

The Samo cheer team performs their routine at the Double A Medium Division CIF competitions on Jan. 25.

On Jan. 25, the Samo cheerleading team took part in four Double A Medium Division CIF competitions at Riverside’s Martin Luther King High School. The event marked the teams return to competition after more than four years of not participating, due to the instability in coaching. Mia Campos (’26) discusses the difficulties of not having a reliable coach but looks at the brighter side of their condition.

“We’ve always had unstable coaches, so we kind of got used to it in a sense, but it also taught us to be independent and not have to rely on someone,” Campos said.

Despite the extended break, the team delivered a strong performance under the guidance of choreographer Joel Burch, a former Top Gun athlete and world champion placing seventh out of 12 teams. 

In competitive cheerleading, teams are evaluated on their cheer, stunt difficulty and dance. The team executed their routine without any deductions, demonstrating both their technical skills and preparation. Team captain Tammy Ikumi (’25) reflected on her experience at the competition, especially considering it was her last as a high school competitor.

“I did competitive cheerleading so I felt a lot of nostalgia when I was competing and it was like my last competition,” Ikumi said. “I think my team did really well. We worked really hard for our routine, and we hit without any fault or deductions.” 

Despite the teams return to competition, the coaching instability carries on. The Samo cheer team continues to look for a new coach after Burch stepped down to accept an offer as the director of the Top Gun cheerleading team.