Sought-After Facility

Wittenberg's Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex continues to be a sought-after location for outside athletics teams, regional bands, and other area organizations. This Saturday, Dec. 14 (today), the 265,000-square-foot facility will be bursting with energy once again, as more than 75 cheerleading squads compete for state titles during the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Spirit State Championship.

Featuring Ohio high schools from Division I through Division VII and some junior high teams, the day will boast two sessions each with a qualifying and a state championship round. The first session features junior high squads as well as Division I, Division VI, and Division VII, while session two features schools from Division II, III, IV, and V. Doors open at 8 a.m. This is the fourth year in a row in which Wittenberg has hosted the event.

According to the OHSAA website, in the qualifying round, each team will showcase its best crowd-leading material in Band Chant, Crowd Leading, and Fight Song routines, which will be performed individually and scored separately during a single trip to the competition floor with each routine having a one-minute time limit.

Teams advancing to the State Championships will be determined by qualifying round scores, which do not carry over. Each team competing in the State Championships will also showcase their best leadership skills and sideline crowd-leading material in a three- minute game day presentation.

A trophy will be presented to the championship team and the runner-up team for each of the divisions. Best of Category Recognition will also be given to teams earning top scores in each of the qualifying round categories - Band Chant, Crowd Leading, and Fight Song. Awards are presented during a ceremony at the completion of each session.

Each OHSAA member school was allowed to enter one team based on appropriate OHSAA divisions. Division placement is based on the school enrollment and used for classifying the seven OHSAA football divisions. Teams participating in the Junior High Division are comprised of seventh and eighth graders.

Local teams competing in this year's Spirit State Championship include London High School in Division III, Springfield High School and Northwestern High School in Division IV, and Northeastern High School in Division VI.

Partnering organizers of the event, the OHSAA and Varsity Spirit, have said that Wittenberg's venue, now celebrating its fifth-year anniversary, has proved to be the ideal location thanks to its varied indoor space, ample renovated locker rooms, and seating for 3,000 enthusiastic spectators in Pam Evans Smith Arena.

The 135,000-square-foot Steemer, an indoor artificial turf practice facility and competition space surrounded by a six-lane, 300-meter track, provides an important staging space for the teams as they prepare for their performances, while the historic 1929 Fieldhouse offers space for teams to rehearse and merchants to sell gear and concessions. The Pam Evans Smith Arena serves as the primary competition space.