Competition Heats Up in Langley Cheer

Langley Cheer’s hard work pays off as they place well in competition at Hayfield

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Varsity cheerleaders after the homecoming game (Top row left to right) Eileen Wen, Katarina Jenkins, Sam Dunkel, Athena Peros, Meghan Cavanaugh, Molly Maher, Julia Bullock (Middle two left to right) Tessa Nyquist, Nicole Medina (Bottom row left to right) Tatum Lohmar, Erica Barton, Keeyana Nejat, Kaitlyn Huynh, Jenny London (Ground) Catherine Hutchinson

Langley Cheer has been training incredibly hard all season. Now they are reaping the rewards.

Most the students who attend Langley have probably seen cheerleaders hyping up the crowds at football game. However, along with cheering at football games, cheerleaders at Langley have also been competing in different competitions all over the state.

To prepare for these competitions and games, Langley cheerleaders stay after school for about two and a half hours to work on their routines. During that time, cheerleaders practice stunting, tumbling, jumping, and their catchy chants.

Competitions are a well liked liked part of cheerleading season. “Competitions were a great way to bond as a team, and they encourage us to work as hard as we can to be as successful as we can.” As JV cheerleader Karina Reilly said.

As fun as competitions are, they are also very challenging as a student. “Competitions are fun but long,” as JV cheerleader Savannah Garth put it. “Especially when they are on a Wednesday and you don’t get back to your house [until] 10:00 p.m..”

The JV Cheer team competed in Hayfield a few weeks ago. They performed well, placing fourth out of the eleven teams competing. JV Cheerleaders were happy with the results. “I think as a team, we gave it our best effort and performed with enthusiasm and confidence.” JV cheerleader, Sarah Harlow said.

Cuinn Casey gives motivational pep talk to fellow varsity cheerleaders before a competition.
Cuinn Casey gives motivational pep talk to fellow varsity cheerleaders before a competition.

The Varsity Cheer squad also placed extremely well, impressively winning first in their competition at Hayfield in mid October and were satisfied with the results. “We hit all of our stunts with zero deductions and managed to place above our toughest competition that we haven’t been able to beat for the past couple of years.” Nicole Medina, a varsity cheerleader stated.

Competitions are when some of cheerleaders’ favorite moments occur. Nicole Medina said, “My favorite part about competing is seeing our routine hit to the best of our ability. It’s just such an amazing moment for everyone when we hit perfectly. It makes all of our hard work worth it.”

However, competitions are not the only parts that make cheer fun. As Sarah Harlow said, “There are many reasons I love cheer, but in a nutshell, I’ve fallen in love with the sport due to the teamwork, the dedicated and fun athletes surrounding me, and the ability to get the crowd excited about the game.”