Jayden Limb and Capri Rich earn Competitive Cheer Academic All-State Honors

MHS seniors Jayden Limb and Capri Rich were recently named to the 3A Competitive Cheer Academic All-State Team. Limb and Rich are both members of the Morgan High Cheer team that recently placed 10th nationally and has claimed three state championships since 2020. To earn a spot on the Academic All-State team, an athlete must have a 4.0 GPA, which both Limb and Rich have maintained throughout high school, or have the required combination of a higher ACT score and a GPA below 4.0. Morgan’s two representatives join nine other senior cheerleaders from 3A schools who compose the team.

 Jayden Limb, daughter of John and Holly Limb, is a four year cheerleader at MHS, a member of the track team and recently performed in the musical “Newsies” as a lead dancer. After graduation, Limb will attend Snow College on a full-ride scholarship with plans to go into political science. “I think I’d like to be a campaign manager or speech writer,” she shared. Limb also plans to continue to use her talents in dance to enter pageants to earn more scholarships. 

A conscientious student who works hard to balance her classes and sports, Limb credits “a lot of late nights, teacher support and careful planning.” 

“I plan when I do my homework and make sure I prioritize homework. Sometimes you just gotta hunker down and do your homework,” she said about her strategy for finding time to keep perfect grades while cheerleading. “Unfortunately, sometimes you just have to put the phone away so you can concentrate.”

Limb loves that cheerleading never stops. “I was never sad when the season ended because we’d start right back up the next week with open gym. Cheerleading has taught me how to work hard and forced me to develop good habits like planning for the week, so I can get it all in.”

Limb was especially proud of her team’s success at Nationals this year after a disappointing experience at the 3A/4A State Cheer Championships. “It was the first time we made it to the finals at Nationals. Actually, the first time we made it past the first day. When we made it to the third day, it was just so exciting.” The team placed 10th in the tough competition against teams from across the country.

Both Limb and Rich praise their coaches for their support and skill. “I love my coaches,” they both said. The cheerleaders are coached by Sue Ann Kelsey and Ben Nagai, with Katie Jensen and Bailey Purser.

Rich said, “In January, I saw more of them than my own mom. They are like second moms to us. Practices are hard, and they push us. They have such a love for each of the girls and want the best for us!”

Limb said, “They have taught me a lot of life lessons, like how to be kind and give others the benefit of the doubt. They have shown me a lot of problem solving skills by solving problems in front of us.”

Rich agrees that problem solving is a skill that cheerleading teaches. “Working together in my stunt group really helped me develop problem solving skills. We would work together and try to pinpoint problems, determine how to solve them and then fix the problem.”

“Cheer has taught me so much,” she said, “but the biggest lessons are to always push through and how to work with others.”

 Rich, daughter of David and Angie Rich, will attend Brigham Young University in the fall and plans to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after completing her first year of college. She’s also excited to try out for the BYU Cheer Squad on April 14-15.

“I’m so grateful for cheerleading because I have made so many friends. In middle school, I did power tumbling on the Wasatch Front and didn’t have a lot of friends from Morgan going into high school,” Rich said. “Through cheer, I’ve made so many great friends and had the opportunity to develop leadership skills as we rotate captain responsibilities each week for a different senior.”

As a four year varsity cheerleader, Rich has been a part of the three state championships and 10th place nationally, along with Limb. She has also worked hard to balance cheer and schoolwork to maintain her 4.0 GPA. “Talking openly and honestly with my teachers about my problems has helped so much. Communication is the key, and everything always works out in the end,” she said. “I had to plan my schedule around the busiest times for cheer. Second trimester is so busy with cheer, so I planned my harder classes for the first and third trimesters. It made life a lot easier.”

Rich and Limb also agree on the tremendous lift they have received from the support of their families. “Their support is everything,” Rich said. “They show up to everything, competitions, games where I perform, everything! And not just my family but my extended family. It is so great to look in the stands and see them all there.” 

Limb added, “I’m sure my dad doesn’t always love competition days, but he’s always there. My parents are so awesome to come to every single game and competition. They have supported me through it all.”

For these two highly motivated student athletes, there is certainly a lot to cheer about – their success in the classroom, their success on the court and field and their exciting future endeavors. Congratulations on being selected for the 2023 Competitive Cheer Academic All-State Team.