By Chardonnae Parker / Delta Managing Editor

Missouri Valley College’s competitive cheer team has been dominant when it comes to the conference competition the last three years, recently continuing its historic run by taking home the conference title for the fourth year in a row.

Jazmyn Zielenski said the team’s success starts with the mindset its members bring to practice.

“We come into practice every single day with ‘We are winning. We are not losers.’ That’s the mindset we have that has always been since freshman year to this year is the only team we must beat is ourselves,” she said. “We are our biggest competition and so we keep that in the back of our minds like we are our only competition. So, if we can beat ourselves then we are going to win.”

One cheer team member described the feeling of winning its fourth conference championship in a row as satisfying yet inspiring to win another banner trying to earn a national championship.

“We go in and we do our job, we are going to win, and no one can rip that title from us,” Zielenski said. “But winning three years in a row makes stakes are on the line knowing that we need to bring it back, but if we walk in and we do our jobs and we do what we are supposed to and I do what I am going to do and what I need to do for our team, we are going to take home the title.”

Every practice the team places its previous championship trophies in the front of the gym, so they know exactly what they are working for.  As the team celebrates its conference championship begins its journey to nationals.

The team hopes to practice and perfect all its routine and to gain more experience by competing in its upcoming competitions.  Up next for cheer is the central Methodist invitational.

According to the NAIA Heart of America Athletic Conference article congratulating the Vikings on the win,  the order of the winners was:

1. Missouri Valley – 78.65

2. Central Methodist – 73.86

3. Benedictine – 69.52

4. Graceland – 66.03 

5. MidAmerican Nazarene – 57.99

6. Mount mercy – 51.90

7. Peru state – 50.30

8. William Penn – 49.95

9. Grand view – 47.08