Oak Harbor’s Kristin Acton placed second at the National Cheerleader of the Year contest in North Carolina last month, winning a $1,250 scholarship. Acton’s teammate, Kimberly Boon, finished in the top 20.

Oak Harbor High School cheer coach, Pam Headridge, nominated several Wildcat cheerleaders for this prestigious title. Each candidate submitted a portfolio of their school and community service, letters of recommendation, academic transcript, and a video of her technical skills. A selection committee of coaches from across the country narrowed the field of candidates to just 35 finalists.

These finalists then journeyed to North Carolina to compete for the title of 2002-2003 National Cheerleader of the Year. Each cheerleader was interviewed, performed a creative presentation and demonstrated their technical skills in jumps, tumbling, dancing and cheering.

That group was then narrowed down to 20 finalists. Once more, each cheerleader performed technical skills at an evening pep rally at the National Cheerleading Coaches Conference. The winners were determined by their cumulative scores from all events.

“Kristin’s portfolio and interview were the keys to her success,” said Coach Headridge. ” In the interview, Kristin greeted each judge with a firm handshake and answered each question intelligently and with poise. Her portfolio showed her many community service activities from National Night Out to Relay for Life to several Help House Food Drives.”

Acton is currently a junior at Oak Harbor High School and will continue to cheer for the Wildcats next year. After graduation, she hopes to attend the Naval Academy or University of Washington.