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newlenoxpatriotdaily.com life & Arts<br />
the new lenox patriot | February 6, 2020 | 17<br />
Central’s cheer team’s sportsmanship<br />
recognized with gift of new uniforms<br />
2<br />
Laurie Fanelli<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
The varsity cheer team<br />
at Lincoln-Way Central<br />
is often honored for hard<br />
work and athleticism, having<br />
qualified for IHSA<br />
State the past two years<br />
and placing eighth at the<br />
IHSA State Championships<br />
in 2019.<br />
The team’s latest accolades<br />
were earned for<br />
sportsmanship — something<br />
that comes natural<br />
to the group, yet can be<br />
overlooked in the world<br />
of competitive sports —<br />
as the company GK Elite<br />
singled out the athletes for<br />
their fairness and friendliness<br />
by gifting them brand<br />
new custom uniforms.<br />
During a practice on<br />
Thursday, Jan. 30, head<br />
cheer coach Danielle Emmart<br />
and assistant varsity<br />
cheer coach Alexia Powers<br />
said they were speechless<br />
when GK reached out in<br />
September to inform them<br />
of the good news.<br />
“GK said they’d been<br />
keeping their eye out for<br />
Illinois teams that represent<br />
good sportsmanship,<br />
good team culture and have<br />
an overall good positive<br />
reputation,” Emmart said.<br />
“I was in shock to say the<br />
least. Not surprised that<br />
the kids stood out; they<br />
are a really fantastic, genuine<br />
group of people. They<br />
work so hard, and it’s really<br />
nice to have this program<br />
be recognized for something<br />
like that. Yes, they’re<br />
athletic. Yes, they work really,<br />
really hard, but to have<br />
a group of your athletes<br />
acknowledged for having<br />
good sportsmanship and<br />
having a great team culture<br />
was awesome.”<br />
Along with supporting<br />
each other through ups<br />
and downs, the members<br />
of LWC’s varsity cheer<br />
team also have a passion<br />
for supporting their fellow<br />
cheerleaders from other<br />
schools.<br />
“In and out of cheer,<br />
they are amazing, humble<br />
kids, and it’s been an honor<br />
to coach them alongside<br />
Danielle,” Powers said.<br />
“Our girls are very open to<br />
meeting new people. Anyone<br />
we’ve ever brought<br />
into the program, they’ve<br />
welcomed with open arms.<br />
At tournaments, they love<br />
going up and meeting with<br />
new people and picking<br />
their brains about cheer.”<br />
Marist High School’s<br />
cheerleading team is<br />
among the groups LWC<br />
loves seeing at tournaments,<br />
explained New<br />
Lenox resident and senior<br />
cheerleader Rylee Richardson.<br />
“We got very close with<br />
the Marist team. We support<br />
each other on and off<br />
the mat and we cheer each<br />
other on,” Richardson said.<br />
The new red and black<br />
uniforms with LWC’s<br />
mascot on the front offer<br />
the athletes style and mobility,<br />
as they are adorned<br />
with sparkles and do not<br />
constrict movement.<br />
“I think a lot of people<br />
think they just throw on a<br />
skirt and they look cute,<br />
but they have to compete at<br />
such a high athletic level,”<br />
Emmart said. “Yes, they’re<br />
competing in skirts, but<br />
they’re doing some really<br />
hard skills, so it’s important<br />
for them to be able to<br />
move.”<br />
LWC juniors Jamie<br />
New uniforms gifted from GK Elite add to the excitement<br />
of Lincoln-Way Central’s varsity cheer team’s season.<br />
Nightingale, of Mokena,<br />
and Kendall Cortese, of<br />
New Lenox, appreciate<br />
that the uniforms are<br />
unique and well-made.<br />
“I like them because they<br />
are newer and they have a<br />
different type of style that<br />
nobody really has right<br />
now,” Nightingale said.<br />
Cortese added, “They<br />
are easy to move in.<br />
They’re comfortable and<br />
they stretch really well.<br />
You’re not restrained. You<br />
have a lot of mobility.”<br />
As LWC’s varsity cheer<br />
team looks forward to sectionals<br />
and beyond, having<br />
already won this unexpected<br />
honor for sportsmanship,<br />
Emmart said her hope<br />
is that each athlete walks<br />
away with something even<br />
more valuable than a trophy.<br />
“At the end of the day, at<br />
least for me, as much as we<br />
all love winning, all I’ve<br />
ever wanted for any athlete<br />
that I’ve ever coached is<br />
for them to be able to look<br />
back at their cheerleading<br />
career and high school and<br />
say, ‘I made the best memories.<br />
I had the best time,’”<br />
Emmart said. “As athletes,<br />
you win. You lose. If they<br />
learn something from that,<br />
grow as individuals and<br />
can learn some life lessons<br />
then mission accomplished.”<br />
Open House<br />
Feb. 8th & 9th 12pm-5pm<br />
Mokena resident and Lincoln-Way Central varsity cheer<br />
team member Payton Vargas (top) shows off her moves<br />
Thursday, Jan. 30, in her new uniform from GK Elite.<br />
Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media<br />
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