The varsity cheer team has persevered through many roadblocks this season.
The team placed first in the Liberty District semi-finals, a stark improvement from the beginning of the season.
“Our first competition was a little rough because we came in fifth,” varsity cheerleader and sophomore Calla Spignardo said.
The team has faced many injuries during the season.
“Before district semi-finals one of our back spots got a concussion, and we had to sub someone in again really quickly,” Spignardo said. “People are just ready to go and always there to help step up.”
Absences during practice were not only due to injuries, but many players were out with illnesses.
“This year, cheer faced a COVID-19 outbreak which forced us to put many of our practices on hold,” cheer captain and senior Aila Seaman said.
Spignardo said she thought the spread of the illness was due to the unique manner of cheer.
“Because it’s such a close contact sport,” Spignardo said, “those illnesses spread a lot. At one point, I think maybe half our team was out, but we quickly recovered and rested and got better.”
Changes were made to the routines, and the team had to adjust to the new choreography and stunts.
“We made many changes in our routine throughout the season with the main reason being that athletes were getting injured,” Seaman said.
The team placed first at district semi-finals.
“We were really excited when it happened,” Spignardo said. “We all stood up and cheered and it was a really great experience.”
Despite the many challenges faced, the team has kept a positive attitude and are a close group of people.
“The team feels closer than it has ever been before,” Seaman said.
The team kept persevering and continuing to perform at a high level, not letting their struggles stop them from competing well.
“The team had success throughout the season because we are all very passionate about cheer, and always push each other to try our hardest,” Seaman said.
They placed fifth at district finals and finished their season on Oct. 1.