Cheerleading is a sport best performed live, but a CIF "No Sunday" rule could keep many California teams from doing so at their National Championship competition come February.
It may still be winter break, but that won't keep the La Serna Varsity Cheer team off the mat or out of the air. The group is gearing up for the 2019 UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida, and they're led by a true veteran of the sport - 15-year head coach Elena Klock.
"I built this program when I started coaching 15 years ago," she said. "And this team didn't even go to competitions [back then.]"
But Klock flipped the switch, turning them from just another cheer team into true contenders, and for those unfamiliar with the cheer world, getting to the National Championship stage is as good as it gets.
"This competition is really the only competition that matters to them," Klock said.
In fact, it doesn't get any bigger than this. The competition features the best stunts and the best tumbling, but there's just one problem. This year you won't be seeing any of it live, at least from the California-based schools.
"Now that we're considered a sport and we are governed by the California Interscholastic Federation, we have to abide by that 'No Sunday' rule," Klock explained.
The No Sunday rule is a CIF bylaw that mandates a day of rest on Sundays, meaning no practices and no competitions. Klock says the rule not only puts her team at a disadvantage, but it could ruin their experience.
This year if the team makes it to finals on Sunday, they will be recorded with the video shown only to the judges.
The rule is what prompted Klock to form a petition that has been signed by thousands, asking for a waiver for this one-time event.
"Of course, we want to win and we want to be at the top, but it's the experience I think that is so disappointing that they're not going to be able to have," she said.
And while CIF won't be granting the waiver this year, Klock is hoping to continue pushing for next season; taking a cue from her cheerleaders and using their spirit to keep fighting.