With their first competition on Dec. 10, the Antioch Community High School competitive cheer team has high hopes after placing third in the state last year. One of the strengths the team has is their communication with each other.
“We make it very important to be a family and to have a family when we’re in an environment like that. It’s really important to stay together and be close,” junior Leilani Saldana said.
For Saldana, this season is not only crucial for the team but also for herself.
“A personal goal for me is probably winning state,” Saldana said. “With the team we have right now we can definitely [win] state.”
As the team strives for state, there are things they need to improve on to accomplish their goal. One of those is the mental and physical challenges of being on a team. The team especially worked on communication, endurance and perseverance this year.
“During comp season it’s a lot mentally harder, harder because we practice every single day, everyone’s mood just changed because we know it’s competition season.” Saldana said “We do a lot more conditioning and pullouts, stuff that will help our endurance.”
The cheerleaders take on huge commitment when it comes to preparing for competition season. With practices daily and tumbling thrown in as well, it is important for the girls to focus on the big picture and what is at stake when practicing. With this sport being challenging in a variety of ways, it is also one of the most rewarding feelings for the teams as they improve throughout the season. As for the JV team, they are also striving for greatness.
“This year our tumbling and stunts are pretty strong, we are also very loud. When all of us cheer together we are definitely heard.” sophomore Madi Maloney said.
The girls face challenges each year and one of them this year is new athletes trying out the sport.
“This year is definitely different from last year based on the team dynamic. Last year we had only one girl that had never done cheer before, this year we have a handful of new girls who are learning the routine that have never done it before.” Maloney said “They are putting in a ton of hard work to learn this routine and the returners could not be more proud of them.”
Both teams will face tough competition this season and will need to push themselves as much as they can to achieve their goals. Luckily for the girls, they are very motivated and determined to make history on the mats.
“Last year we were all dead set on winning and we put our hearts on the floor, the gym was electric.” Maloney said “This year we are all working incredibly hard to achieve the same results.”
Both teams will work hard to show teams what they are capable of and prove to themselves and their competition that they are here to win.
