On February 7, the Highlands High School cheerleading team took the mat at the biggest competition for high school cheer in the United States. The team has earned their spot at the National Cheerleaders Association’s High School Nationals. As they prepare to take on the best teams from across the country, the cheerleaders are ready to show off their skills to the best of their ability.
“We have a lot of practice. We spend a lot of time together and communicate with each other because, during a big competition like nationals, you need to be prepared to win or lose and have a good mindset going into it,” Peyton Gabbard (10) said.
When training for a national level competition, it is crucial to have strong stunts and an even stronger will and mentality. Going into this season, Highlands’ cheer team has worked together to communicate.
“Our biggest obstacle will be our own minds. Believing in our skills and abilities is key, and executing our routine to showcase our capabilities is something we must focus on not letting the crowds or different arenas frighten us,” cheerleader and team captain Chelsea Crisler (12) said.
For the past month, the coaches have added extra practices and bonding opportunities for the girls. This has helped the team stay on track and understand each stunt to its full potential.
“We had a lot of bonding opportunities, our schedules are packed with showcases and practices. Although our practices are typically 2 hours we have had a couple of 4 our practices to ensure that we present our best at nationals. On Thursday, we have another 4 hour practice,” Kenzie Connley (9) said.
Being alert and clear minded is important to perform at their best especially when under pressure. Not only do the cheerleaders work hard in the gym and on the mat, but they also focus on making healthy diet and nutrition decisions in their daily lives. Drinking sufficient water will also be extremely important in Florida due to the weather change being upwards of 40 degrees warmer. This will help avoid fatigue and dizziness.
“I think it’s incredibly important due to the fact that it’s going to be under more practice also under new weather conditions. It is crucial to properly support your body and mind with the nutrients they need. Having struggled with this in the past, I always make sure to help others and remind myself to be adequately fueled. Resting is important after participating in physically demanding activities, as well as allowing recovery time to gain strength,” Crisler said.
Last year, Highlands came in 9th place in their division at nationals, but winning two-thirds of the local competitions and bringing home third place at the KHSAA state cheer competition gave them the confidence to bring their best and hopefully keep their winning streak.
“This year we are a lot more focused and we are driven and ready for the win. We have to know what we are doing and there is little space for error,” Gabbard said.
In team sports like cheerleading where synchronicity and coordination play a part in scoring, it is necessary to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses during specific skills.
“Our coaches have asked what additional support they can provide from a coaching perspective to better our team as a whole. This includes making corrections and changes, always listening to recommendations. When we work in groups, our teammates can provide corrective criticism and praise,” Crisler said.
Although there is always room for improvement, the biggest challenge during nationals will be to keep up their stamina and energy because they will be competing two days in a row, warming up stunts on the grass and getting to and from the competition in the heat.
“Making sure we don’t exhaust ourselves by being in Florida and competing two days in a row is really important because we really want to stay consistent and hit all of our elements both days,” team captain Rudi Wilson (12) said.
This year has been an inspiring season from the Highlands cheerleading team because of their hard work and dedication in every aspect of sportsmanship. This season has been successful all around with Highlands coach Sarah Hoffman calling the current line up of girls her “Dream Team.”
Update – February 10: The team put out their best efforts but did not advance to the Super Varsity Division two non Tumbling Game Day finals by a tenth of a point. Their final score was 89.3.
