Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 4:12 pm

Graves County High School Co-Ed Competition Cheerleading coach Jon Summerville and co-captain Jacqui Lopez talk to Japanese TV reporter Maiko Matsumato as videographer Tetsuya Yokogaki tapes the interview.

 INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM –  A producer for a TV show “Chichin Puipui” (roughly translated as “Abracadabra”) on the Mainchi Broadcasting System of Osaka, Japan, searched the Internet to find an outstanding American high school cheerleading squad.

She was impressed that the Graves County team has won four of the past five national titles of the Universal Cheerleading Association and five of the last six championships of the Kentucky Association of Pep Organization Sponsors. So, the producer, based in southern California, and four other members of the show’s crew from Japan visited GCHS Monday, Jan. 31, to profile the life of a cheerleader and of the high school.

The program will air in Japan in mid-February. That will be around the same time the cheerleaders defend both their state and national titles.