Gaffney High School cheerleaders Brianna Payne and Amy Dill practice a bow and arrow stunt Monday afternoon in preparation for this weekend's state finals. The competition will be held Saturday at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville. Counting quickly to eight, Gaffney High cheerleaders Brianna Payne and Amy Dill allow themselves to be raised high in the air to form a human version of a bow and arrow.

Coaches Elizabeth Ireton and Pam Elliott watched with a critical eye Monday afternoon as the cheerleaders repeated the difficult stunt on a mat in the commons area. The cheerleaders have practiced four times a week since April to prepare for what will take place Saturday.

Gaffney High will make its first appearance in the S.C. High School League Competitive Cheer final at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville. The school's competitive cheerleading team earned a spot in the state finals with a fifthplace finish last week in the Upperstate qualifier at Northwestern High School.

The state finals will feature the top 12 competitive cheerleading squads in South Carolina. Each team is spending their practice time this week adding more difficulty to their carefully choreographed routines.

"We have worked a long time to get to the state finals. We are finally up there with the big dogs," said Suzanne Key, senior captain of the Gaffney High cheerleading team. "We have to have so much energy. We run as fast as we can for two and a half minutes."

Gaffney High started its competitive cheerleading team six years ago.

Competitive cheering became a High School League sport in 1996. High school league rules require all members of the competitive cheerleading team to be on a school's regular cheerleading team as well.

The cheerleaders will spend Friday evening in Sumter to support the Gaffney football team in its second round playoff game. They will head over to Greenville Saturday morning for the state cheerleading competition.

"We are very excited. This is the first time we have made it to the state finals," Ireton said. "A lot of girls have worked really hard for many years to help our team get to this point."