With an impressive first place finish at their first competition in Batavia last Sat., the OH cheer team has shifted from sideline cheering at games to center stage in their competitive season building on last year’s success of fifth in IHSA State.
The team not only prepares and performs routines for cheerleading competitions, but they also attend basketball games to cheer on their school’s team, hyping up the crowd and boosting the players’ confidence.
“My goal is to win, well not only to win, but to also improve myself,” said backspot/tumbler, junior Aydan Dunne.
Cheerleaders are shifting their focus from supporting their teams on the sideline to preparing for the excitement and challenges of competition cheer season, where skill and teamwork take center stage alongside competing with other teams.
This season is about participating in organized competitions where each athlete and the team as a whole is judged on their technique, synchronicity, difficulty, creativity and overall performance.
These teams typically practice three to four times a week to perfect their routines, which usually last around two and a half minutes. During that time, athletes have one chance to give it their all. The routines include a variety of skills such as tumbling passes, stunts, jumps, and dance sequences.
Safety is a major priority, so the coaches and team members work closely to ensure proper spotting and technique to prevent injuries.
Oswego varsity cheer Head Coach Maggie Hill said, “To qualify for state, you have to get top five at sectionals.”
The pressure for this team is real as they begin to work towards their goal of making it to state for the fourth year in a row, as well as the fourth year in OH history.
OH varsity cheer is showing the first looks of their new routine on December 13th, located at Batavia High School. Through the season, OH cheer will continue to show improvements with skills like stunting and tumbling.
OH senior Zahira Zbrozek said, “My goal is just to have fun and to not be too hard on myself, especially since this is my last year doing high school cheer.”
The key to success for this team is the ability to trust each other and hold each other accountable.
Hill said, “judges are looking for you to be exactly what they are expecting of a cheerleader, someone that’s smiling and having a good time and giving a show.”
While athletes work not only to perform an entertaining routine, they also work to increase their skills with each season. This team is full of hard workers.
For this upcoming season, Hill said, “Our goal every year is to try to get into level four.”
OH is hosting a home competition in the main gym this Sat. Dec. 20, where they will showcase their teamwork and improvement from the beginning of the season.
Hi! My name is Ainslee Gerardot and I'm a junior at Oswego High School. This is my first year of the 42Fifty staff, and I am proud to serve as Social Media Editor. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
Hi! My name is Leah Fetro. I am a senior here at OH and it is my first year as a journalist with 42Fifty. I am excited to see what this year holds! You can contact me by emailing 42fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
