Blackman High School cheerleader Hannah Claire Candlish is one of the few seniors on the cheerleading team. She has been cheering at Blackman for four years.

Recently, she made the All-State Cheerleading team, and she has also won the National High School partner stunt championship with Matthew Hartley, senior coed cheerleader.

“Having Hannah Claire as a partner was a huge privilege and opportunity that made me a lot better as a cheerleader in the process,” said Hartley.

When Candlish first joined the cheerleading team as a freshman, she looked up to one of the seniors, Risa Witherow.

Witherow encouraged and supported her teammates. Candlish wanted to be just like her and lead just how she would. Candlish believes that positive encouragement and leading by example is the right way to go.

“Hannah Claire is a humble, selfless person who works hard and deserves everything that she has received,” stated Hartley.

Candlish would be the first to practice and the last to leave. She wants the team to have someone to follow who is right there beside them every step of the way.

“Hannah Claire is well respected because of the standards and excellence she sets,” said Courtney Gregory, cheerleading coach.

For Candlish, it was important  that the team experienced the feeling of pure victory. As a senior, she felt like it was her responsibility to get the team where it needed to be to win a championship.

“It was frustrating because this team has gone through struggle after struggle. All odds were against us all year,” said Candlish. Candlish’s goal this year was to give the Blackman Coed Cheerleading program back its national champion name, and that’s exactly what the team did.

“It feels good to be a part of the team that brought [the national championship] back to Blackman. We brought back the expectation, the known name, the legacy, and the title,” stated Candlish.

As her senior year is coming to an end,  Candlish is looking at colleges.

Her plan is to try out for the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Candlish has also recently talked to UCF, University of Central Florida, and will be going on visits. She is also trying out for UCA, Universal Cheerleading Association, within the next two months.