The Questa Cheer Team brought home their second consecutive state championship title on March 18. The team performed in several sets with music and dance using creative hits such as 8-6-7-5-3-0-9 Jenny and incorporating flashy spirit flags and megaphones into their routines.

The girls are coached by Angel Medina and Maria Medina, the aunt/niece duo who has brought the team to the finish line with two state championships in a row.

We caught up with coach Maria Medina about the team’s latest win. “It feels surreal! It’s an amazing feeling.” She was quick to attribute the team’s success to the dedication of parents and cheerleaders who give their all to the program year-round.

Maria says many of her team play dual sports and this requires the need to be flexible, scheduling practice after basketball, volleyball, and soccer. “Sometimes, the girls won’t get home until 8:30 or 9 at night. They get tired and we recognize that. These girls are students first, then athletes,” says Maria.

This dynamic team’s dedication and tenacity is undeniable, but there is more. Maria says on top of juggling participation in multiple sports and handling a full-time class load, some of the girls are enrolled in AP college classes and out of the 18 girls on the team, 13 are in National Honor Society.

When asked how she and Angel support their girls in their endeavors, she is quick to say that they ebb and flow. “When we can tell our girls are too tired, we won’t push them. We only focus on the basics and sometimes, we’ll even have venting sessions to help our girls decompress and refocus.”

Working with this team has been years in the making. Maria says she and Angel coached some of the girls on this team since they were small, from about 2012 through 2019. “We were the Flamin’ Blues and we practiced under NMAA rules so the girls knew what to expect when they got older,” Maria says. The work and dedication over the years is clearly evident and this team is very strong. “We want to keep winning championships!” Maria says of her hopes for coming years. She wants to continue coaching for as long as she is able.

“It takes a village, and we are so grateful and touched to be from this community. Everyone has been so supportive and we feel so loved by the community of Questa, we are so grateful,” Maria says of the recent celebrations around the team’s back-to-back state championship. The girls have successfully kept the championship in the Q, the fourth overall state title for the Questa cheer team. We hope to see another championship in 2024!

2023 State Championship Roster

Senior Jaydyn Cintas
8th grader Olivia Martinez
Freshman Jocelyne Ortega
Sophomore Kiara Arellano
Sophomore Alyana Leon
Freshman Ariana Media
Freshman Marissa Ortiz
Freshman Janae Dominguez
Freshman Alyse Lovato
Senior Karina Rael
Freshman Joshlyn Media
8th grader Karla Trujillo
Freshman Aaliyah Piper
Sophomore Aliyah Santistevan
8th grader Mariana Ortega
Sophomore Kamryn Cardenas