After spending football season cheering from the sidelines, South’s Varsity Cheerleading shifts their focus to preparing for competitions, where they perform choreographed routines featuring stunts, tumbling, jumps, and dance.
The transition from football season to competition season brings a demanding schedule, Emily Arp, Head Cheerleading Coach, said. During football season, cheerleaders primarily support the football team and energize the crowd, while competition season lets the team prepare a two-and-a-half-minute routine to compete against other schools, Arp said.
“Seeing the team come together and watching the routine grow from the beginning to the end of the competition season is an incredible feeling,” Arp said.
Competition season requires more commitment because of additional practices and weekend competitions, junior Lily Olson said. Unlike football games, where cheerleaders primarily perform stunts, competition routines incorporate multiple skills throughout the performance, Olson added.
“We learned to become more disciplined, and we all work really hard during practices because we know it’s going towards something special on the mat,” Olson said.
Senior Maddie Fifield has been on varsity for four years, and said the increased workload also requires greater focus and trust among teammates. While she considers football season more relaxed, Fifield said competition season requires cheerleaders to perform their most difficult skills with precision.
“We grow together during competition season because we practice almost every day,” Fifield said. “It creates a great sense of community within the team.”
Arp enjoys competition season because she gets to see cheerleaders develop their skills and confidence.
“It’s so fun to see everyone out there performing and watch them light up when they’re on the stage,” Arp said.
