Winter sports are back! Basketball, swimming and wrestling may come to mind, but many seem to forget about the growing sport of Competitive Cheerleading. Cheerleading has been rising these past years and more seem to becoming fascinated with this sport.
The Warren Woods Tower competitive cheerleading team has been striving for success for many years now. 2010 was the first time the girls were really acknowledged, receiving a blue banner in the gym for achieving MAC champions- the first time ever in their cheerleading history.
However, last year the team fell short and didn’t achieve their goals of MAC champs or district champs. In fact, the team didn’t even make it past districts. On the other hand, the girls received the highest scores for all their rounds than years past.
Tower recently added a Junior Varsity team to the cheerleading program last year. This year will be the second year of having a JV team competing. There are 19 girls on Varsity and 15 girls on JV. “I like the selection of the team this year, there’s like eight freshmen on the Varsity team,” Mirza Mahmutovic ’12 said.
“My team goal for this year is to win districts,” Mahmutovic declared. Mirza is the only senior on the varsity cheerleading team and has been a part of the cheerleading program since her freshman year. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how far we go this season,” Mahmutovic added.
“There are about 14 competitions this year, and were hosting districts for the first time!” Mirza said. There should be a couple home competitions this year, which is very exciting for the girls.
With all this excitement come nerves and worries from inexperienced team members. “I’m nervous for my first competition as a varsity cheerleader,” Ashley Wenson ’15 said. “It feels cool to be on the Varsity cheerleading team because I wouldn’t think that as a freshman that I would make varsity,” Wenson said.
Ashley has been cheerleading since 7th grade and made varsity her freshman year during football season. “I wanted to try out for competitive season because of stories of how fun it was from the upperclassmen on the team,” Wenson added.
“My favorite part about cheerleading I would say is stunting,” Wenson said.
Competitive Cheerleading consists of three rounds. Round one is strictly motions and jumps. The complexity and diversity of the motions really gets the crowd going. This round is very loud and intriguing along with important, it’s like a first impression on the judges. It can start a team off in the lead with some cushion in case of a mishap, or behind the lead to make the girls strive to achieve the best to keep them in the competition.
The '10-'11 Varsity team Syncronizes toe touches during round 3 of a competive cheer competition
After Round one comes round two which is the round where everyone does everything the same. This round consists of identical motions, jumps and tumbling. If there is a slight difference between two girls, the team will be marked down.
Round two is one of the most important rounds because the girls can show what they’re really made of and show off their tumbling.
At last the final round comes along, round three. Round three consists of motions, tumbling, stunting and jumps…whatever the team desires. This is the time for the girls to show off their true talents without holding back.
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