![Colin McRaven ('24) prepares to pitch the ball to an Anclote batter during the Varsity pre-season game."I like striking people out, since it's fun. The game against Anclote was pretty easy because they were less talented than our team and [I think] we were better than them in every aspect," Colin McRaven ('24) said.](https://jwmhshoofbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1538-1200x928.jpg)
Kicking it up a notch
With cheer competition season coming up the girls prepare to achieve their goals.
At the rivalry game against River Ridge on Sep. 9 the girls set up in four lines and performed their cheers to help keep the Stang Gangs spirit alive through the entire game.
October 31, 2022
With football season coming to a close, the cheer team is gearing up for the fast approaching competition season. This October the girls are preparing for their first competition in January. As a team of 23 girls, seniors: Riley Yableck, Arianna Comito, Malesa Zullo, and Natalie Renyolds lead the team as captains.
Yableck entered her last year in high school cheer ready to practice and perform on the sidelines and is ready for competition season.
“We go over all of our cheers, chants, dances, and stunts in our practices throughout the week, before Friday. We like to also practice how loud we are, because it’s a big thing for the “Stang Gang” to be able to hear us. I like the sideline better just because I love football. It’s one of my favorite sports,” Yableck said.
The chants heard by the “Stang Gang” are decided by the captains then learned and rehearsed as a team during their Wednesday practices. During games each captain has a row to lead through the night. As the team practices their cheers they will go into competition season as a non tumbling team; meaning they will only be doing stunts. This will be their second year competing as a non tumbling team.
Elianna Chalela (’24) looks forward to her third year on the team and her first full competition season.
“I just quit my outside cheer, so I’m excited to know what it’s like to not do two teams at once, as now I can focus more on high school cheer. I like going to the competitions because of potentially winning and the feeling before going on. It’s really fun,” Chalela said.
Last year the girls won second in states, this year they hope to win first and have been working on having extra spirit and better teamwork. During Football season it has become a tradition to have a team dinner at one of the senior’s houses before home games.
Jillian Donaldson (’25) looks forward to the competition season as the team has been practicing on bonding.
“[The dinners have] made our bond stronger. It has definitely helped us to sit down with our stunt groups and get closer with them. I think as a whole we all get along very well,” Donaldson said.
Even with only a few games left in fall football, our girls will be continuing to prepare through the year until their first competition in January. With high hopes the team continues to practice as they want to end the competition season in March with a win.
