Co-written by Priya Reddy.
The true feeling of a team is in the air as the cheer members reflect on their frantic day. The bus ride home from Stockton is full of sore, exhausted girls, but their spirits have never been higher.Cheer recently placed first at their first competition of the season, kick-starting the year on a positive note. Read on to learn about the perspectives of three different cheer members on their recent success.
El Estoque: How did it feel to win the first competition of the season?
Ellie Orvick: It was really exciting for us because we actually had to change part of the routine and add someone in the day before. Hitting most of our stunts and all of the routine was a really cool advantage for us.
EE: What is one of the things people don’t often realize cheer does for competitions?
EO: We have practice anywhere from two to four times a week depending on how close we are to the competition. We don’t only cheer at football games and basketball games, [but] we do have competitions and have to condition for them, often working out outside of cheer. It takes a lot of strength mentally and physically to be on the cheer team.
EE: What was your favorite part of the performed routine?
EO: I really liked the dance. It’s the last few eight counts of the whole routine and it’s after all the stunts are done. It’s the last second when you can [finally] just breathe and smile and truly get into it.
El Estoque: What are your thoughts on the first competition?
Amanda Kim: [It] was really fun. A lot of the people on the cheer team were like, ‘Oh! Competitions are really fun’, [but] I was really scared for this one [because] I didn’t know what to expect.
EE: What was the most fun thing that happened?
AK: I just really liked everything. During the competition, the best [part] was when the announcement that we won [was made] and everyone’s faces just lit up. We were surprised and it made me really happy.
EE: Based on this competition, how do you feel about the upcoming competitions?
AK: I’m definitely excited for the other competitions [now]. Since we won our first competition of the year, it helps us and motivates us for other competitions to come. Because it’s like, ‘Oh we already won once!’ if we just work harder and improve on our routine then we can do that again.
El Estoque: How was the team expecting to place?
Emily Leung: [A competition like this one] is really tricky because there are a lot of really good teams that [we compete against]. We definitely did put in a lot of hard work, and luckily it did pay off.
EE: How did it feel to win the first competition of the season?
EL: It was very encouraging for us and I’m definitely very proud. It’s a great way to start off.
