Every year, in January, high school cheer teams across the country attend NCA High School Nationals to compete against the best of the best in hopes of achieving a national title. As WRHS has been a consistent contender each year at KSHSAA Cheer State, it’s no surprise that they always bring their A-game when they take on Nationals. Over the years, the team has achieved quite a few notable placements at both State and Nationals, including one of their best years, 2022-2023, when they took second at State and tied for 7th at Nationals in one of the largest and most competitive divisions.

However, with the team set to leave for Dallas on Thursday morning (01/22/26), on Tuesday evening, rumors of a catastrophic forecast for Texas began to spread. By Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the team was scheduled to leave, high schools across the nation began to announce cancellations of their Nationals trips, including Washburn Rural.

This news was detrimental to the athletes, coaches, and parents who have poured in consistent effort, heart, and drive towards making a successful 2026 Nationals trip. For the seniors on the team, this news was especially heartbreaking, as Nationals signifies the official end of the team’s competition season each year.

NCA has resulted in issuing an online virtual competition for all of the teams that were unable to attend in-person, which was an overwhelming majority. In efforts to console broken hearts across the team, the Auburn-Washburn USD 437 Facebook page has posted recognition for the team, encouraging the public to attend the virtual competition recording that took place at the high school the evening of Jan. 23 at 6 p.m.