Have you had the opportunity to watch our Junior High cheerleaders this season? This football season, the dedicated seventh and eighth-grade cheerleaders have put in many hours to perfect every jump, cheer, and stunt. The coaches and cheerleaders have made many goals for themselves that they are checking off one by one. The team has 18 cheerleaders this season, who will all be participating in basketball cheer this upcoming winter season as well. This team is very capable and has grown so much since the first practice.
The captains this season are Mila Bair (8) and Tia Yeck (8), who are doing an outstanding job leading the team to success. The captains were picked during cheer camp this past summer. The captains have made sure each girl is aware of what she is doing, and have made sure that the team remains an extremely positive and friendly environment.
“The season is going really good, we have made a lot of improvement from last year, and at the beginning of this season our stunting is going really good as well. I think our squad has been a very positive environment and I’m loving the role as captain,” Mila Bair (8) said.
“This is my first year cheering for Freedom, and I’m honored to be one of the Junior High captains! It has been such a great season so far. All of us have so much fun together, we always say cheer is like a sisterhood. I’m looking forward to continuing cheering. I want to thank Mila for being captain with me. I couldn’t do this without her,” Captain Tia Yeck (8) said.
This season, the team has also gained two new incredible coaches, Grace Lane and Leia Mosconi. They have made sure that the team can continue to strive throughout this season and better themselves as a team, and what now feels like a family to all the cheerleaders. Mosconi wanted to become a coach because when she cheered, she loved it and wanted to give that experience to other cheerleaders. Lane wanted to become a coach because she has always loved cheer, and has missed it after graduating high school. Both coaches plan to return in the following seasons.
“My perspective on this season is everything is going a lot smoother than I thought it would be for being a first-year coach,” Mosconi stated.
“The season is going great! The group of girls are amazing and make me so proud. They are doing way more than I thought we would do in Junior High, so I’m really impressed and looking forward to the rest of the season,” Lane stated.“My favorite part of coaching is seeing the girls’ faces when they finally hit a stunt they have been wrong at. The joy on their faces really brings me joy, knowing how hard they have been working on it. Also, getting to know them and their personalities is always so fun.”
“My favorite part about coaching is creating special bonds with each of the girls,” Mosconi stated.
The girls have continued to grow at each practice, especially with stunting. Each stunt group has become extremely capable of doing multiple things, including cradling, extensions, and twist-ups. The team and coaches have created multiple new stunt cheers as well, which all the girls seem to really enjoy.
Overall, so far this season, the cheerleaders have all been extremely determined, and so far, it is paying off. Everyone is very pleased with how the season has gone so far, and everybody is looking forward to the rest of the season.
