West Maui Cheer finished second in their age division at the 2014 Jamz Nationals in Las Vegas.

LAHAINA – West Maui Cheer, an all-star cheerleading team trained by Sue Martin, recently placed second in the 2014 Jamz Nationals in Las Vegas.

Thirteen young ladies from the West Side trained hard for six months to prepare for the two-day competition that featured 295 teams and more than 3,000 participants vying for their shot at a national title.

WMC, which trains at Lahaina Crossfit gym, upped their effort to be at their best by incorporating additional practices in the Warrior Elite All-Star gym in Wailuku.

Cyn Los Banos, head coach of WEA, worked double time and co-coached the WMC girls to help them polish their skills in the last two months of preparation.

“It was the dynamic duo team of coaches who brought the team to their peak,” acknowledged Coach Sue.

One of the highlights, aside from winning a surprise second, was the appearance of Coach Cyn, who flew to Vegas to support the girls.

“This definitely switched the girls into the right frame of mind to bring on their ‘A’ game mode, which impressed the judges and audience,” Martin said.

West Maui Cheer is the only team on Maui that trains young girls at Level II. The Lahaina-based team entered in the Mini Division (eight years and younger by the season opener).

Twenty Mini teams competed at the national event, but most were in the Level I category.

The skills of the West Maui girls allowed them to be entered as a Level II team – the highest allowable for that age division.

This year will be the last for Coach Sue. After 30 years of coaching, it is time to retire, she said.