Cheerleading may not be a traditional winter sport, but ask any of the girls on the Hood River Valley High School competitive cheer team what they’ve been up to for the last few months and they’d be happy to tell you just how much effort they have put into the season. And as the season comes to a climax at this weekend’s OSAA State Cheerleading Championships, the team will face a bittersweet moment.

Hood River Valley High School’s fall cheerleading squad traveled to the University of Portland earlier this month for a Universal Cheerleaders Association summer camp. The three-day camp is aimed at teaching new cheers, stunts and dances for the upcoming year, as well as building team camaradery that will carry over to the school year.