Friday night lights look a lot different this year, but the key changes aren’t happening on the football field; instead, on the sidelines. The Cheer and Stunt team has more than doubled in size, increasing from just seven members last year to 16, an increase heavily fueled by underclassmen.
“The freshman class contributed to that growth, along with a few other new members who were interested. We have a lot of students who wanted to try something new,” Head Cheer Coach Sarah Petit said.
With more numbers, the team’s options are much more open, as they can do more complex stunt routines, different formations, and overall become a more imposing team.
“For stunting, we have a lot more people to do it. So it’s not just me up in the air. We have three other girls who can do it now. It definitely changes what formations we can do, especially for Homecoming,” Captain Kaylee Petit said.
However, when numbers ramp up and routines become more complex, it becomes increasingly difficult to work together. Just as with every other sport, practice is crucial to the team’s success.
“Practices consist of memorizing 50+ cheers and the motions for the cheers, learning the words and routine for the school song, along with stunting and some conditioning,” Coach Petit said. “This year, I chose to have Kaylee and Maddie (Fogo) as team captains. They have a lot of responsibility to provide instruction and guidance for the team.“
This guidance goes outside of just instruction. The few upperclassmen leaders are tasked with making sure the team has a welcoming and engaging atmosphere, something that seems to be working so far.
“They (the upperclassmen and coaches) are really nice and the team is fun and exciting,” freshman Sophia Nechkash said.
Despite the high participation now, the competition aspect of cheer was halted last year due to low numbers. However, with the strong group of young cheerleaders, there are plans to start back up in the coming years.
“As for this year, we are not planning for a competition season. However, now that we have more members interested, I’m hopeful that a competition team is something that could return,” Coach Petit said.
As the cheer and stunt team continues to grow, team spirit is the one thing that needs to remain high; luckily, the group is meshing very well.
“It’s not like ‘only these people talk to each other’, we all get along, and the group’s been feeling really good. They’re really quick learners this year, and it’s made it a lot easier just with the influx of all the new people,” Petit said.
The cheer team’s next showing will be on Friday, October 15, at home when the football team takes on Adams-Friendship for Senior Night.
