Brentsville District's varsity cheerleading team is typically a force to be reckoned with at any competition as the Group AA state contenders generally best even Group AAA en route to securing a few trophies before the post season even begins.

The Tigers are still that same team this year; it just took a while before they could show it.

Last Saturday, Brentsville won its first meet of the year at home in Nokesville during its own invitational competition, topping Chantilly, Colonial Forge, Sherando, Liberty and a handful of other schools. That came two weeks after ending up a ninth place at Park View and three days after turning in a fifth-place finish at the all-county event Oct. 15.

Brentsville won both competitions in 2009 and even reigned supreme at the 2008 county classic, one year after the Tigers cruised to district, regional and state wins.

Taryn Witt, the Brentsville head coach, explained that outside factors played a role to the Tigers' rough start this year. The Park View event fell amidst the string of three suicides tied to former and current Brentsville students, including one to senior star football player Austin Trenum, someone the BDHS girls cheered-on Friday after Friday.

"It's been a hard year for us here at Brentsville," said Witt. She said that for the first two weeks of competition this month, "our heads were distracted" and that "it's taken a while to refocus back on cheerleading."

That's where leadership and work ethic play out-sized and significant roles. Senior captains Rachel Stable and Shannon Butler have been in charge of "doing all the little stuff to make sure the team's prepared," said Witt. Their responsibilities range from the minutia like fixing hair to the broader picture such as making sure every one of the 20 girls hitting the floor is mentally prepared for the task at hand.

And it's the latter that, when Brentsville is 'on', separates the Tigers from the competition. Witt upped the degree of difficulty by adding in extended tumbling and longer-held stunts, essentially using endurance to influence scoring.

One of the most difficult jobs for any Brentsville cheerleader is to play the role of an alternate, someone that must be ready to fill in on a moment's notice if any one of the main 20 cannot compete. That's a role junior Taylor Slater executed Saturday while also competing with the junior varsity team, helping that squad capture a win of its own too.

"That's very hard to do, to compete at that level on two teams," said Witt.

Alternates are "constantly working on the side" during practices and take the floor when during breaks. Those practices are held six days a week, including on football Fridays.

"Unlike some sports, we usually practice on our game days," said Witt.

Constantly honing those skills paid off Saturday as Brentsville came away without any faults for falls, drops or other safety violations, which marked a noticeable improvement from the county meet.

Districts are set for Oct. 30 at Fauquier which regions and states to follow each week afterward. According to Witt, as long as the team concentrates on impresses fans in the stands, the points added up by the judges should take care of themselves.

"It's not just about winning for us," said Witt. "It's about performing at a level that wows the crowd."