Despite being often-overlooked as a legitimate sport, the Fluco cheer competition team of 2016 finished strong. Under coaches Julie Hogue and Lindsay Ward, a total of 17 girls worked for months to get their routine on the edge of perfect, even in the face of numerous injuries.

The first competition was the Cosby Challenge on the last Saturday of September. The team placed 4th in their division,while competing with 17 teams overall. More of a dress rehearsal than a formal tournament, this competition gave them a glimpse of the competition and got them ready for the season. “It was really cool getting to compete at a competition with 17 teams,” said Nicole Kent ‘17.

The second competition, Districts 2016, took place on Oct. 12 at Louisa County High School. Overall, the girls did well enough to place 3rd out of seven teams. It was also their first time to compete as a full team with all 17 girls, since several had been out due to concussions, broken fingers, and sprained ankles and wrists up to that point. “I was pretty nervous about this because it was my first competition, but it turned out really well,” said Caroline Haislip ‘19.

Their last competition was Conference 29 at Broadway High School on Oct. 22 where they placed 4th out of the seven teams in their division for the first round, enabling them to move onto the second round. Due to an unexpected fall, they placed 4th again in the second round. “I saw them give a hundred percent every day and work extremely hard. I’m proud of them,” said JV Cheer Captain Rose Bunch ‘20.

Senior Madison Brown agreed with Bunch’s assessment, “We had hard practices which included many tiring run-throughs and working on stunts to make perfect for these competitions, and I’m proud of what all my team accomplished.”

  Each year, the coaches nominate girls for All-Conference, sending in short videos of them doing cheers, jumps, and tumbling. Then, coaches from every team in that division choose their All-Conference nominations.The Lady Flucos nominated for this year’s awards were Amina Wilson ’20, Frances Fulton ’18, Emily Liles ’17, Madison Brown ’17, Briana Knox ’17, and Nicole Kent ’17. At the Nov. 15 FCHS Fall Sports Banquet, every girl that was nominated received All-Conference honors and got a certificate that stated they were All-Conference cheerleaders congratulating them for working hard in both rounds.