On December 15, the Sequoit cheerleaders took sixth place out of 18 teams with a score of 88, finishing on top were the Grayslake Central Rams.

During the competition, there were several deductions on Antioch due to two falls during a stunt which affected other minor areas in the scoring of the performance. The Sequoit’s have persevered through several injuries resulting in a multitude of routine changes. Instead of using this as an excuse, the cheerleaders can instead use this score and dilemmas as motivation for improvement. Antioch’s ranking was not satisfying to some, yet there is still a hopeful outlook on what the team can accomplish in the future.

Senior and varsity flyer Rebecca Bargamian felt that the performance was strong and she is very happy with where the team currently stands. She felt that the stunt groups could be easily corrected and that there is room for improvement.

“We are adding a lot of new skills and difficulty to our routine as people are coming back [from injury],” Bargamian said. “We have a lot in store and I’m very excited to come out with all of our new skills that no one is going to be expecting from us.”

Sophomore and varsity flyer Riley Conway was out due to injury, but was able to motivate and encourage her teammates as they performed. She had the ability to see the performance from a different perspective which provided her with valuable insight as to what areas the team needs to strengthen.

“Of course, the stunt sequence is the current area in which the team needs to improve upon, but I feel as though the Sequoits did a great job putting up a fight,” Conway said. “This is just one small obstacle which I know this team can overcome.”

With competition season only at its beginning, Antioch’s cheer has plenty of time to reflect upon this first performance and continue to make changes as time progresses.