A Not So Cheerful Season

     This year's cheer season has been tough on the team; however, they have been persevering through it just like any normal season. 

     “Our summer competition and cheer camps were all cancelled and we missed out on all of our summer training and conditioning this year. We were also limited in our stunting this year, which is a huge part of cheer,”  cheerleading coach Jessica Belmey said. 

     Even before they were able to start their official season, they were facing adversities with their summer training and competitions. COVID-19 has been constantly shifting things around making it harder on them to have a successful and beneficial season. 

     “We’ve had a few girls have to quarantine, which can throw off an entire competition routine or plan for game day. Mentally it can take a toll, when the people you’re used to seeing every day you only see twice a week now and you can’t even hug or high five,” Belmey said. 

     COVID-19 has taken a toll on the team, from their summer training being taken away from them, having to manage around the pandemic and being put on a quarantine. It's been a hard time. This, however, has not stopped them from giving it their all during games and competitions.

     “We’re limited to 6-8 at a time, so you won’t see all 16 at once. So we can’t do a lot of the crazy stunts that require the full squad. We are using this time to still train really hard for next season,”  Belmey said. 

     These are just some of the adjustments being made to work around the pandemic and to follow social distancing guidelines. They have also been limited for training and can no longer attend their essential tumbling classes. Due to all of this, a lot of the time currently being spent is over preparations and training for their next season.

     “One thing I was expecting to change was sports in general. I thought they would cancel them so we could easily quarantine again if needed but they didn't. I loved this season even though it was much different,” Varsity Cheerleader Evelyn Stephenson said.