Watertown Cheer and Dance Head to 2026 South Dakota State Championships; Eight Earn All-ESD Honors
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Watertown High School competitive cheer and dance teams will travel to Rapid City this weekend for the 2026 South Dakota High School Activities Association State Competitive Cheer and Competitive Dance Championships, following the announcement of eight Watertown student-athletes to the 2026 Eastern South Dakota Athletic Conference All-Conference teams.
The state championships take place Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, at Summit Arena at The Monument in Rapid City. Class A competition begins at 5 p.m. MT (6 p.m. CT) on Friday, Oct. 23, followed by Class AA competition at 11 a.m. MT (noon CT) on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Watertown Class AA State Performance Schedule
To qualify for the state tournament, schools were required to compete in at least two regular-season competitions. The competitive cheer division features stunting and tumbling teams, while the dance competition includes pom, hip hop, and jazz categories, and schools may enter up to two dance categories.
Watertown will compete in three Class AA sessions on Saturday, Oct. 24 (all times listed in Mountain Time and are approximate):
· 11:59 a.m. MT (12:59 p.m. CT): Watertown Competitive Cheer — Stunting/Tumbling
· 12:51 p.m. MT (1:51 p.m. CT): Watertown Competitive Dance — Jazz
· 2:15 p.m. MT (3:15 p.m. CT): Watertown Competitive Dance — Pom
On the Class AA Saturday schedule, the national anthem and introductions are slated for 11:05 a.m. MT, with a mid-session break following the 1:27 p.m. MT performance and resuming at 1:47 p.m. MT. Special awards followed by team awards are scheduled for approximately 3:30 p.m. MT on Saturday. Class A awards are scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. MT on Friday.
Eight Watertown Athletes Named to 2026 All-ESD Conference Teams
Ahead of the state meet, the Eastern South Dakota Athletic Conference announced its 2026 All-Conference selections for competitive cheer and dance, with four Watertown athletes honored in each discipline.
Watertown 2026 All-ESD Competitive Cheer Selections:
· Ashlynn Andrews, senior
· Kendra Buchholz, senior
· Lyric Diedrich, senior
· Madison Giang, senior
Watertown 2026 All-ESD Competitive Dance Selections:
· Gianna Letizia, freshman
· Avery Meyer, junior
· Ariya Norton, sophomore
· Emory Whetsel, junior
Watertown Officials Selected to State Judging Panels
Two Watertown officials have been selected by the SDHSAA to serve on the state championship judging panels this weekend:
· Renee Cummings of Watertown will serve as a performance judge for the Competitive Cheer Championships, alongside head judge Christina Bennett of Pierre and Krista Inman of Rapid City (with safety judges Brandy Gangle of Lake City and Lindsey Brown of Pierre).
· Taylor Hageman of Watertown will serve as a safety judge for the Competitive Dance Championships, alongside Salena Reimer of Sioux Falls (with performance head judge Darcy Nagel of Rapid City, Tammy Griffith of Aberdeen, and Dacia Starks of Pierre).
Ticket and Venue Information
Doors at Summit Arena at The Monument open approximately one hour before each day's scheduled session. All tickets are general admission for the entire day and are available at the arena box office or online at https://www.themonument.live/events/detail/allstatecheerdance26 (additional online fees may apply).
Daily ticket prices are:
· Adults (including college students): $15
· Students (grades 1–12): $10
· Children (preschool through kindergarten): Free admission
Stream on SDPB’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/live/KTd1SYoBUgk?si=kxXj4yolomubicaB
