Cheer team focuses on conditioning hoping to qualify for nationals

Before beginning cheering for a varsity football game, the team takes a photo together

The team has been practicing hard early in the year and has high hopes for their upcoming season.

Head Coach: Chelsea Miller

Recap: The competitive team qualified for nationals last year but was unable to compete due to COVID-19 traveling limitations.

Key returners: Seniors Kaelli Trateng, Ela Machiroutu, Sydney Backhus, Jenna English and Darya Loenko; and junior Eva Semin

Key losses to graduation: Natalie Lockhart, Ashlyn O’Brien and Sade Hashemi

Prognosis:

For every home football game, the cheer team gets loud to hype up the football team as they take the field. From cheering on the football team to practicing for competitions that could lead to nationals, the girls have been working hard.

Last year, the team qualified for nationals but was unable to compete in Los Angeles due to COVID-19 travel limitations. One of the senior captains Kaelli Trateng believes that with the help of head coach Chelsea Miller and assistant coach Alyssa Nichole, they will be able qualify for nationals once again.

“We are working on strengthening and getting all of our new stunts down to get back to nationals,” Trateng said.

The girls are also being conditioned by coach Alec Lockhart, who has them run laps on the track and lift in the weight room. Trateng said that everyone is putting in their best effort to improve themselves with strengthening and stunt practice.

“Even though our conditioning is challenging, we are getting through it and everyone has been improving a lot,” Trateng said.