Submitted photo Taylor Richard, of Lewistown, recently took first place at a national cheerleading competition.

LEWISTOWN ­— What does it take to win a national competition in cheerleading? Just ask Taylor Richard, of Wildcat Allstar Cheerleading — she won first place in the senior individual division during the Reach the Beach Nationals held in Ocean City, Md., on April 5-6.


“It all began when I started doing individual routines,” Richard said. “I worked on my routine all during the summer and began performing it in November. I went through it constantly.”


Richard, the daughter of Russell and Michelle Richard, of Lewistown, said she used the judges’ comments from various competitions to refine her routine until she found the winning combination for  this spring’s event, when she competed against six other girls in her division. She also was one of the top five highest-scoring individuals among 81 other competitors, coming in at number three.