Titan Competitive Cheer ready to raise the bar in 2026 season

After finishing 11th at the state competition a year ago, the Tea Area High School competitive cheer team is entering the 2026 season with a renewed sense of purpose — and a routine that promises to be more challenging than ever.

For head coach Kylie Lottman, the upcoming season marks her second year leading the Tea competitive cheer program. She also returns for her second season co-coaching the school’s football sideline cheer team.

Lottman brings extensive experience to the position. She coached tumbling and cheer for five years at a local dance and cheer gym, after spending 18 years in dance and six years in cheer. She also participated in two years of sideline cheer and one year of dance team at Tea Area High School before cheering for three years at Augustana University.

The Titans showed plenty of promise during Lottman’s first season, finishing in the top half at half of their competitions and placing 11th at the state meet.

This year, the team is looking to take another step forward.

“We are ready to come out stronger than ever this year!” Lottman said.

Tea graduated four seniors from last year’s squad — Leah Ackmann, Aubrey Mehlbrech, Rease Moe and Olivia Olawsky. Lottman said the four seniors played an important role in building the program and served as strong examples for the younger athletes.

“They were great leaders and amazing role models for the younger athletes,” she said.

The Titans will rely on a combination of returning experience and an influx of young talent this season.

Returning eighth-graders include Gracie Gniffke, Isabella Peters, Paesyn Peterson and Tayah Stanford, all of whom have one year of Tea competitive cheer experience along with All-Star cheer backgrounds.

Junior Sarah Wilson returns with five years of Tea competitive cheer experience as well as experience in All-Star cheer and dance.

The Titans’ senior leadership will come from captains Tessa Brech, Emersyn Cauwels and Hailee Slattery. Brech and Cauwels each have five years of Tea competitive cheer experience, while Slattery has three years in the program. All three also bring experience in football sideline cheer and All-Star cheer.

Lottman said the team’s chemistry is one of its biggest strengths.

“The team as a whole brings a lot of fun,” she said. “They are always ready to have a great time. We have very strong leaders, and they are always willing to help each other.”

That connection is something Lottman believes is evident when the Titans take the competition floor.

“These girls are bonded and you can see their commitment and connection to each other when they perform,” she said.

The program is also welcoming a large group of seventh-graders this season, providing Tea with a strong foundation for the future.

Addison McGinnis, Cali Erickson, Camille Brown, Kendall Johnsen, Naomi Smith and Samantha Wilson make up the team’s seventh-grade class.

“They are all very hard workers, will help the team grow for years to come, and they will push their team to achieve their goals!” Lottman said.

The Titans are also raising the difficulty level of their competition routine this season.

The theme is “Unfinished Business,” a fitting title for a team looking to improve on last year’s state finish and make a stronger impression throughout the season.

“We are at a new difficulty level this year,” Lottman said. “I believe our tumbling and stunts will score the highest this year…we are ready to show off what we have been working on!” she said.

Consistency will be a major focus as the Titans work to put their more difficult routine together throughout the season. Lottman’s primary goal is straightforward: hit the routine consistently while continuing to support one another.

The team’s biggest competitions will come later in the season, with the Eastern South Dakota Conference meet at Harrisburg on Oct. 15 followed by the South Dakota State Cheer and Dance Championships in Rapid City on Oct. 24.

Before then, Tea will have plenty of opportunities to test itself against competition from across the state.

The Titans open the season this Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Mitchell Invite before traveling to Pierre this Saturday, Sept. 5. The schedule continues with competitions in Yankton on Sept. 10, Brookings on Sept. 19, Brandon Valley on Sept. 22, Harrisburg on Oct. 5 and Watertown on Oct. 8.