Lahainaluna cheerleaders preparing to defend their MIL title

The defending Champion Lahainaluna High School cheerleaders will compete in the Maui Interscholastic League Championships on Oct. 22.
LAHAINA — The strength and integrity of the West Side community is continually displayed in the robust spirit displayed in athletic programs, from the preschool leagues and on up through the high school teams at Lahainaluna.
Leading this support are cheerleading teams at all levels that are inspired by the Lahainaluna cheerleaders.
The 2022 Luna cheerleading team continues that sterling tradition as the defending Maui Interscholastic League champions as this year’s competition approaches next week on Oct. 22.
Last week, Head Coach Stacey Vinoray commented, “We are gearing up to defend our title as 2021 MIL Varsity Cheerleading Champions. Our competition team has been working very hard. We have had our share of injuries, but we make do, and the entire team has stepped up. We know it won’t be easy, but our little team is determined, committed and excited to compete.”
Coach Stacey is joined on the highly experienced — some 40 years combined, including Pop Warner on up to the high school program — Lahainaluna staff by Marilyn Valencia, MaryAnn Corpuz, Ka’iulani Tanner, and Anuhea Doran.
The current team is a mixture of brand new cheerleaders and a few that have been cheering for years. Leading the way are senior captain Tatum Perreira-Aquino and fellow seniors Kayla Salmon (co-captain), Samara Cook, Harry Moses Flores, Hanna Hongo, Yelani Jacobs and Elisha Ragudo.
Rounding out the varsity roster are juniors Christine Chung and Keonani Faye Kahaleauki, and sophomore Michelle Arzaga.
The Luna junior varsity squad is made up of sophomores Heather Ricardos, Ke’Arra Robinson and Makanalani Tanner, and first-year athletes Abigail Ankney, Kameron Leslie, Sequoia Pelletier Yamasaki and Alea Sattel.
“Cheerleading is a sport in every sense of the word, combining cheering with our voices with arm motions, kicks, jumps, dance, tumbling, gymnastics, basing and flying people in the air. It is a sport, and we have a team of athletes. As coaches, we are so proud to see how the team pulls together, figures out what needs to be done, and does it.”
“We invite all our Lahainaluna friends and family to cheer us on by getting their tickets at https://gofan.co/app/events/721315?schoolld=HI17601. We are so grateful to the West Maui community, parents, students, boarders and our A.D., Jonathan Conrad, and faculty of Lahainaluna for their support,” Coach Vinoray concluded.