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Varsity and junior varsity cheerleading squads from 18 high schools participated in the contest, held at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro.

This was the first competition held among schools in Prince

George’s. The competition was organized and funded by the Prince George’s County Athletic Department. Lead organizer was Caniesha Washington, who serves as cheerleading coach at Douglass High School as well as the cheerleading representative for the Prince George’s County Athletic Department.

‘‘Cheerleading has really evolved over the past 10 years,” Washington said.

‘‘Attending games and doing cheers — that is the activity part. But competition is where this becomes a sport. These are skills, and it takes athletes to perform them.”

Douglass High School participates in seven to 10 nationwide competitions every year.

‘‘This competition is a great opportunity for our cheerleaders to take center stage,” said Prince George’s County Athletic Director Earl Hawkins. ‘‘So much of the time, what they do is in support of other teams. But they are tremendous athletes themselves. They spend endless hours perfecting these routines and this is a great showcase for them.”

Henry A. Wise cheerleader Tiarra Scott said she has been cheering since she was 2 years old.

‘‘I love the spirit and the excitement. Cheerleading motivates you and it motivates others,” Scott said.

The squads were judged in a variety of categories, including stunts, degree of difficulty, voice and spirit projection, motions, dance, jumps, use of tumbling, visual effectiveness, transitions and flow, use of original material and crowd appeal.

‘‘I really like to see the teamwork. I’m looking for teams that can put together a complete routine and do everything well together,” said Tiffany Bryant, one of the competition’s four judges. Bryant is a high school cheerleading coach in Northern Virginia, and has been a certified cheerleading judge for the past six years.

The competing high schools were divided into two classifications for judging, with the Class 4A schools competing against one another, and the Classes 1A, 2A, and 3A competing separately. Classifications are based upon the size and enrollment of the school.

In the grand championship competition, Frederick Douglass High School was awarded first place, Bowie High School second place, and Oxon Hill High School third place. An overall composite score from the judges determined the grand championship winner. Competition organizers said they hope to make the county cheerleading competition an annual event.

E-mail Carla Peay at cpeay@gazette.net.