Amidst the noise and cheers, the WCHS varsity cheer team secures a first-place finish at their first “serious” competition, counties. Backing up their previous Oct. 14 inter-school competition, the WCHS cheer team won 1st place with 115.3 points. Sherwood and Damascus came close at second and third place with 114.95 and 114.15 points respectively. The team has come a long way since the start of their season and their first-place finish is a testament to their dedication. WCHS junior Kelly Wang is a flyer on the varsity cheer team and recalls the effort it took, leading up to counties.
“Counties was our first big competition, it is one where our place could make or break the rest of the year,” Wang said. “We were nervous, but you could also feel the excitement in everyone. We knew we could hit our routine and gave it all we had.”
Their success can be credited to three factors: hard work, the team’s bond and the techniques within their routine. The WCHS cheer team has grown in all aspects from the start of the season and demonstrated that.
“At our very first invitational, I felt like going into that competition we were kind of unsure,” Wang said. “All we wanted to know was how we scored and how we could improve before more serious competitions such as counties.”
The longest practices, lasting up to three hours and repeatedly performing one routine back to back, are extremely demanding. In the week leading up to counties, the team ran multiple takes of their full routine—a tiring yet rewarding process.
“During our process, it is difficult going through the full routine for hours straight,” Wang said. “When we first learn something, we are all trying to figure it out. [After] performing it, we are fresh and the practice has made our stunts where they are now.”
Although persevering through difficulty leads to gaining team points, cheer coaches Brianna Saunders and Sheila Saunders employed a different approach when choreographing this year’s routine. Compared to last year’s, the routine contains less difficulty which scales back point potential, but reduces the gamble when it comes to performing such skills.
“This year we chose to decrease difficulty and focus on execution,” Saunders said. “The team’s stunts are at their best and we’re more prepared than ever.”
Another aspect of this year’s team is the close bonds formed with each other. Cheer is a sport where one of the biggest factors is trust. Having confidence in teammates is the difference between success, failure and injury.
“We have become closer since the first competition,” Wang said. “This year our team is like a family. We have all spent so long working on our skills and the support for each other has brought us here.”
With counties in the bag, the cheer team looks towards regionals and states as the next competitions to prove themselves in. The excitement from counties and the consistency they have demonstrated in their season prepared the team to take on the harder competition.
“Last year we worked so hard but didn’t get the places we wanted,” said Wang. “It was a huge disappointment, but we worked harder and didn’t let that stop us. This year we’re better than ever.”
