Once again, the Bryce Jordan Center rang with the thrilling crescendos of "Party in the U.S.A." -- but Miley Cyrus wasn't back for another concert.
The stadium was instead filled on Sunday with hundreds of cheerleader champ hopefuls, all in it to win it at the Keystone State Games Cheerleading Championship.
The competition was held at the BJC and hosted 50 different teams with contestants ranging in age from seven to 17, each trying to tumble their way to victory in front of mothers wielding everything from cowbells to air horns to cheer them on.
"I thought the organizers did a very nice job," said Jamie Zurich, a Harrisburg resident with two children in the competition. "I've been coming here for a couple of years and I think that having it at the Bryce Jordan Center was definitely a good choice."
Attendees were greeted with a stamp on the hand and an extensive list of rules and regulations, ranging from basic uniform restrictions to limitations on total number of twists that should be attempted in a dismount.
The contest began with little fanfare: The first team simply ran out of a giant inflatable football helmet and began a seemingly endless parade of its multicolored compatriots, accompanied by snippets of nearly every song recorded in the last 50 years.
Each performance lasted no longer than three or four minutes, with the rapid-fire barrage of teams continuing for the better part of four hours. The only respite was a brief 15-minute intermission, which most patrons spent talking about how their favorite team was going to or had already destroyed the competition.
Justin Balicki, a Blairsville High School student, said that while he enjoyed watching the competition, the real show wasn't performed on the stage.
"Watching the parents go crazy was a lot more interesting than the cheerleading," he said.
Even though the energy in the stadium lulled towards the end, the last team took the stage with all the vigor of a soldier who knows the war is almost over.
Once the competition had concluded, all the participating teams rushed the stage for the awards ceremony and proceeded to form one massive, disjointed conga line that died off quickly. Contestants then swung into a quick dance to "Cotton-Eyed Joe," after which each team received a trophy for their part in the event.
Danny Mendoza, a Hazleton Area High School student, said he definitely didn't regret attending the competition.
"I'm enjoying myself because of all the girls here," he said.
