Looks like it's time to cheer for the cheerleaders themselves.

For only the fourth time in the school's history, Mantachie High School's cheerleading squad will be traveling to the National Cheerleaders Association's (NCA) Senior and Junior High School National Championship in Dallas, Texas. The team of 12 will be competing with more than 150 similarly-sized teams from across the country on Dec. 28-29 in front of an audience of thousands.

The team qualified to compete at the national competition during the NCA's annual summer camp.

Unlike cheering from the sidelines, at this show, all eyes will be on the cheerleading team itself. Needless to say, team members are simultaneously enthusiastic and nervous. For two-and-a-half minutes, thousands of spectators will be watching their performance.

"It's the longest two-and-a-half minutes of your life," said squad member Anna Brooke Harkey of the routine, to which the other members nodded in agreement. Involving flips, tumbles, stunts and, naturally, cheering, in less than three minutes time team members give their all to make a good, memorable impression.

It's exhausting, said cheerleader Laken Grimes.

"It takes a lot of hard work and dedication," she said. "We have to practice for several hours every day."

According to coaches Shauna Hill and Angie DeVaughn, the performance will be judged on both the technicality and execution of the routine.

"You compete in the preliminaries and then you compete again the next day. It counts so much one day and so much the next," Hill explained. "That way, if you mess up one time you have a chance to revive yourself."

This will be the fourth time Hill has taken a Mantachie squad to the national competition, the first time being exactly 15 years ago this month. She said it is unlike anything the squad has previously experienced.

"The experience is unreal for the girls," Hill commented of the event. "This group has never been to anything like that before, so I think they will be like kids waiting for Christmas -- just full of excitement to get there."

Each year, she added, the competition gets tougher and tougher, so she knows the team will enjoying seeing what other squads bring to the table.

"The level of competition changes every year ... To me, they expect a lot more out of you now than they used to," Hill said. "It's like any sport, every year that goes by just gets more and more competitive."

She briefly described the atmosphere at the competition, calling it frenetic and full of energy, with teams of all ages and skill levels practicing together in large ballrooms.

"It's a lot of people from a lot of different people from all over the country," Hill said. "The girls have no idea what to expect. There are cheerleaders everywhere, and sometimes you'll run into pro or college football teams who are there."

The national event isn't the only competition facing the girls. The team will also compete in the statewide cheerleading competition later this month, for which they qualified by competing in the regional competition earlier this year. According to Hill, the experience of competing at the regional event should help prepare them for what to expect in the state and national competitions, if even just a little bit.

"They've really worked hard to get to this point," Hill said. "There's a lot that goes into getting ready for competition ... Just going out there and knowing that the team did their routine to the best of their abilities -- the best they can do -- makes them winners, no matter what they place. I'm very proud of them. They've come a long way ... working very hard to accomplish something big."

Although the stakes are high, and the team's nerves on end, all the members agreed that the trip will be, more than anything else, a lot of fun.

"We're like a family. We're all best friends," said squad member Alli Frederick. Teammate Lindsey Johnson added, "The trip will be like going on a vacation with your family."

When asked what it felt like to be in the spotlight, Hannah McFerrin said it is was both strange and exhilarating.

"We're going from cheering for somebody else to cheering for ourselves," she said.

Undoubtedly, the rest of Mantachie will join them.

Adam Armour can be reached at 862-3141 or by e-mailing adam.armour@itawamba360.com.