January 2020 Issue

6
feature
JANUARY 2020 • EDITOR JADA INGLETON
West Broward’s competition cheer team strives for Regionals win
FINAL POSE: West Broward’s competition team perform at their Districts
competition, hosted at Dillard High School on Jan. 11. The Bobcats
placed first, which awared them access to Regionals in late January.
Photo courtesy of Michaela Freeman
Jada Ingleton
Feature and Opinion Editor
Izabella Perez
Staff Writer
Hundreds of competitors, supporters and
rivals’ eyes are glued to the performers’ every
movement as she strides through her
transitions and stunts. The sound of a boastful
cheer mix set to a usual 8-count routine
blare through nearby speakers, sparking the
room with energy. Much like any other activity,
competitive cheerleading can come
with its fair share of risks and peril. However,
it continues to offer cheerleaders the
opportunity to shine and strive for success.
West Broward’s competition team is surely
no different.
Going on their seventh year of competing,
the West Broward cheerleading competition
team has shown both promise and potential
in their time spent on the mats. Every year,
spring tryouts are held in preparation for
the busy and bustling season. While some
teams may get off-season time away, the
lady Bobcats spend most of their summer
and early in the school year preparing. They
are in prep mode bonding, conditioning, and
working up the strength and strategies needed
to hit the competitive scene.
“Most people might dread having to come
back to school throughout the summer, especially
if it means having to work out early
in the morning and get sore off it. But when
you’re doing it with a team, it really does
not seem as bad,” said senior team member
Michaela Freeman. “We know in advance
what competition season entails. All the
hard work and time put in from way back in
Aug. is only used to strengthen us individually
and as a group.”
Communication is key when going over
stunts and routines, especially during Sept.
through Apr. competition season. Helping
each other with warm-ups and stretches in
preparation for the stunts about to be done
is one of the crucial ways the team assists
each other. When going over routines, the
other cheerleaders watch the bases and flyers
in order to give feedback on what might
need to be fixed and how they can improve
aspects of the routine as a whole and individually.
“We try to keep each other motivated
every day, saying to give it your all,” said
sophomore flyer Victoria Vazquez. “Not just
for yourself, but for the whole team as well.
There’s always room for improvement.”
The Bobcats are constantly in game mode.
They use every practice and opportunity
possible to not only improve themselves,
but also inch their way closer towards an
accomplishing title. Aside from the opinions
and efforts from their own coaches, the
team also participates in mini-competitions,
nicknamed mini-comps, where they get a
chance to be evaluated based on their executing
performance.
“Mini-comps don’t necessarily give places
or ranks, but we do get a paper with feedback
on our performance: what we excelled
in, what we did wrong, things like that,”
Freeman said. “We try to do as many as
possible to get a leg up before the bigger
competitions to see what areas we need to
work in and how to make our routine overall
better.”
The competition cheer team is the only
team that competes; the junior varsity (JV)
and varsity teams only perform at games.
These three teams differ in the level of difficulty.
The competition team consists of
competing with a full routine with a variety
of different and advanced skills like elite
stunting, jumping and dancing. No matter
the fact that JV and varsity cheer teams do
not participate in competitions, they work
hard when cheering for the West Broward
boys football team.
“Competition team is different than sideline
cheer because you learn and perform
more advanced skills than what you would
do at a football game,” said sophomore
team member Cassie Aguiar. “You’re really
coming together as a team and working as a
whole to put your best performance out on
the mat.”
With years of growth, improvement and
experience, West Broward’s competitive
cheer team continues to expand their horizons
and offer their audience one electrifying
performance after another. From
tumbling mats to one man stunts, the team
identifies the strength and courage it takes to
compete and how a positive support system
can ease the workload and inspire greatness.
“We’re all very close on the team,”
Vazquez said. “I think having a solid bond
between the other cheerleaders helps a lot
when performing and practicing as you
know you have a whole team of people
that have your back and will support you
through your stunts.”
Due to their hard work and strive, the
cheerful Bobcats placed first at their Districts
competition on Jan. 11. The victorious
win awarded them a chance at competiting
for Regionals on the 24th. This achievement
can come with the potential and possibility
of a Nationals champions title.
Cheer is not in any way an easy sport. Just
like any other sport, it’s high stress and high
stakes, and it can be taxing on a competitior.
No matter the stakes the West Broward
cheerleaders always manage to strike gold.
“It’s so important to keep a positive attitude
when competing; not everything will
turn out how you want,” said Freeman. “We
have worked really hard pushing through
every obstacle and we get through it as a
team. Rest assured: we are ready to hit the
mat for Regionals.”
STURDY STRIDE: West Broward’s
competition team perform their
third competition at Nova High
School on Dec 3. The mini-competition
resulted in positive feedback
for the Bobcats and allowed the
team exposure prior to their Regionals
debut, which took place
the weekend of Dec 6. Photo by
Jada Ingleton