B-L-U-E! J-A-Y-S! The LHS cheerleaders are now known as seven-time State winners. Last month, the girls went to State competition in Columbia and came back with a win. However, their dedication and hard work does not end here. They will be competing at regionals on December 13th to qualify for Nationals.
While some people are watching Netflix or hanging out with their friends, the cheerleaders are putting their hard work and time to the test.
“We normally practice on the weekends and after school until 6:30 or 7:00. There are probably about four hours of practice a day,” senior Desirae Leeson said.
These long hours are used to clean and perfect their routine. Junior Maddy Kudrna expands on this.
“Practice before State was very stressful. Practices were long and everyone got worn out,” she said. “However, we all put in a lot of hard work with all of the hours. We picked up the minor things in the routine that needed work on.”
Practice was not the only thing that was stressful for the girls, getting ready for state was also. Competitions are different for everybody and each individual had their own way to prepare. For sophomore Molly Filger, she and her teammates have some superstitions before they go out to perform.
“We always go out to eat at Godfathers and get kicked out of practice at least once before the competition,” Filger said. “My shoes have to be tied really tight before performing and I can’t eat the day of the competition or I feel like I won’t do as well and will mess up.”
The competition was filled with many things, especially girls. The bathrooms were filled with make-up, hairspray and bobby pins. The audience was filled with family and friends as they took the mat to perform. The team members were full of nerves because they only had one shot to do their best.
“For regionals, it’s a more relaxed environment because you aren’t as worried,” Filger said. “For state, it’s more intense because you have to do it right or you’re out. We’ve won state seven times now and that’s really hard to keep up. It is really nerve racking compared to all of the other competitions.”
Not only is it stressful for the girls, but also for their coach, Brenda Moats. She prepares them to do their best and when it’s time for them to perform, she still had some anxiety.
“I was nervous, anxious and excited. It’s a very high pressure situation when you go in as the defending state champions, especially after defending it for the past six times you’ve gone to State,” Moats said. “I don’t want to disappoint the team or the community and having that type of pressure to “win” is stressful.”
Their hard work paid off at State. The girls achieved what they went to do and were ecstatic about their win. They had different opinions on what they liked most about winning state. For Kudrna, she liked seeing her mom afterwards, but for Leeson, it was the accomplishment.
“After winning State, I headed over to my family,” Kudrna said. “My mom ran up to me, gave me a hug and whispered in my ear that she guessed that meant I would be getting another ring. That was a really good moment for me and it was just surreal.”
“My favorite part of winning is knowing that we hit a pretty good routine,” Leeson said. “There were a few bobbles and falls here and there, but it definitely is going to give us more confidence for the next competition. We can make it ten times better.”
Winning state is not only good for the girls individually, but it also helps bring them together as a team.
“I think that every year after state, it gets us all motivated and excited,” Kudrna said. “It brings us a lot closer and gets us ready to take on nationals.”