Despite a shaky start to the Cheer Team’s competition season at Washington High School, the team won first place among nine teams at their second competition Dec. 4, Nor Cal Classics, in the Varsity Show Cheer Intermediate division. Song Team also competed in the Varsity Song Pom Intermediate division and placed second.

At their first competition, the Cheer Team placed third out of five teams. Though they performed the same routine at both competitions, according to junior Irene Chang several changes were made that contributed to their success at Nor Cal Classics. Aside from a cleaner routine, the team brought a new energy and enthusiasm to the competition.

“It was the little things that made a difference. We had more style and confidence this time,” Chang said.

Though Cheer Team’s improvement was apparent between their first and second competition, team members were still shocked at their achievement. Not only had they only had one week after Thanksgiving break to practice, but they also competed against last year’s national champion team, Freedom High School.

With another competition coming up Dec. 10, the team is focusing on increasing the difficulty of their routine, specifically their pyramids. They received a 18 out of 20 points in the difficulty category at Nor Cal Classics, but are still hoping to improve their score.

According to co-captain Alyssa Gager, the team’s early accomplishments have given them motivation and high hopes for the rest of the season.

“We want to come out on top at Nationals,” Gager said. “But to do that we need to work together, become more unified, and do more conditioning to become a stronger team.”