The Win of A Team

The Fluvanna cheerleaders gave it their all on Oct. 8 and 9 as they won the Jefferson District Cheer Competition and received First Place at the Deep Run Invitational. “I would say this year’s team gets along and works very well together. We all motivate each other so much and had the same goal to win states this year,” said sophomore and team member Kelsey Randolph. 

The cheer squad bonded over the course of this year so they would enter the competitions as family, “This year we pushed harder than ever as a team and had each other’s back through everything. We bonded to make our team a family, and it really helped us win,” said sophomore and team member Oliva Reardon, “We all wanted to win together.” she added. The team’s hard work and bonding paid off, and they brought home trophies to show for it.

How often did they have to practice to achieve this goal? “We practice four days a week, occasionally five, plus games on Fridays and competitions on Saturdays,” said senior Sydney Forren. “At the beginning of the seasons, we usually take a couple of Saturdays and have some 10-hour practices to really get our choreography and routine started for the season,” said Forren.  

How does competition cheer differ from regular cheer? “Competition cheer is my favorite type of cheer. There is much more stunting and energy, and there is nothing like coming off the mat with your teammates after you hit a great performance. Competition cheer requires more togetherness and bonding as it requires the most trust and support,” said Forren.

Randolph acknowledged that many people aren’t sure of the difference between the two types of cheer. “Sideline cheer is just cheering for the games on the sideline, and we don’t practice much for it. Competition is where we put in the work we practice all week and put in so much effort to build up a good routine and performance. Like any other sport, this takes dedication, conditioning, and determination,” she said.

Some people think that cheer isn’t a sport when in reality, it’s more than just cheering on the football team and waving pom-poms. “sideline cheer consists of cheers, chants, school spirit, and some stunting skills. This side of cheer is for cheering on school sports, while competition cheer is a routine that consists of difficult skills and takes the whole team to come to compete against other teams. It consists of dancing, stunting, tumbling, cheering, and motions. All of this is made into a fast-paced routine with music.” said Reardon.

The cheer team coach, Kenny Larios, says this is the best the team has ever done. “During my time at Fluvanna, we have never won a district title. The routine they performed at districts and their other invitationals has been one of the hardest routines they have ever done. The team is always up for a good challenge.” said  Coach Larios, “This team is full of individual talent. I have taught the coed team to not be stuck in one position. Each member on this team puts the team first. They sacrifice friend time to practice and competition events,” he added.