Santa Barbara High School Cheer Team Caught in La Habra Quake

The Santa Barbara High School Competitive Cheer Team and their families felt the jolts of the 5.1 earthquake that struck near La Habra on Friday night.

About 60 parents and student athletes are staying at a hotel in Anaheim, just a few miles away from the quake’s epicenter, to compete at the annual USA Nationals Competition at the Anaheim Convention Center. They are the defending champions.

Some of them were at a nearby restaurant, in Costa Mesa, having dinner when the first temblor hit around 8 p.m. One of the parents, Easter Moorman said she didn’t realize it was an earthquake. The 5.1 quake hit about an hour later at 9:09 p.m. Moorman said the restaurant was shaking and rolling. Her husband, David, captured video of a chandelier moving. Moorman says the parents and students who were at the hotel during the quake said the jolts were strong.

Caltech seismologists said the 5.1 quake was at a depth of around one mile and was followed by at least 30 aftershocks, three greater than magnitude 3.0.

The Dons are shaken up, but otherwise okay. The cheer competition gets underway on Saturday afternoon.