For the first time, CHS cheer is set to have a strictly competitive cheerleading team for the upcoming 2018-2019 season. In previous years, a cheerleader would be required to participate in sideline cheer in order to be eligible to tryout for the competitive team. This year, competition tryouts, which took place on September 8th, were open to everyone. Students with solely an interest in the sport of competitive cheerleading now have the ability to compete without being required to cheer at football and basketball games.
Competitive cheerleading, a CIF sport as of 2017, is quite different from standard sideline cheerleading. Teams around the nation work to prepare three minute high-energy routines incorporating dance, gymnastics, and stunting, to compete against competitive teams from other schools. Generally, preparation for competition season requires two to three months and hours of practice and conditioning. Once competition season has started, teams are obligated to consistently upgrade stunts and skills throughout the year. With a strictly competitive team, focus on these aspects will likely become easier.
The team will be coached by Jenifer Koury, who has previously served as the (sideline) junior varsity cheer coach as well as an advisor for the team.
“Sideline cheer mostly works on game day material, which is more on the school spirit side,” Koury said. “And in competition cheer we create a routine with difficult skills and compete with other schools.”
One team member on this new competition team is Vicky Devejyan, a junior varsity cheer captain this year.
“I prefer competitions over games because, in my opinion, competitions are more exciting,” Devejyan said. “You are surrounded by other teams who are as passionate about the sport as you. There is a lot of work that goes into preparing for competitions. As soon as we get our choreography, we practice as much as we can and upgrade our stunts throughout the season.”
For competitive teams across the nation, preparation entails a long sought after goal on many cheerleaders’ minds: to win the national championship. At the national competition last year, CHS’ team made it past the first day of eliminations and placed top three in their division, the farthest the team has ever gotten. With a new competition team, cheerleaders and coaches alike hope to move up and improve from last year’s third place standing in this coming season. With the advent of this new independent team along with their same determination, this goal may not be too far out of reach.