As the fall sports season looms around the corner, many North Augusta athletes are in preparation. This includes the cheerleaders, as they just completed tryouts on March 31st. The squad will engage in two sets of two-week long practices: one in the fall and one in the spring. The cheerleaders officially began spring practice for the 2021-2022 season on April 10th.
What does spring practice entail for these Lady Jackets? Coach Rhona Norris says, “Our goal during spring practice is to get both JV and varsity together to work on fundamentals, assign the line-up, review and teach all material. And work on band dances.” Over this two-week long period, the cheerleaders learn all the cheers, chants, and dances for the upcoming season while making sure everyone is in sync. Junior Taylor Muns gives a different perspective as to what spring practice is about when she says, “It’s a great opportunity for everyone to bond but it is also a time for every cheerleader to learn all the material from previous years and learn new material. As for the girls who have cheered before, spring practice is great time to clean up your moves and improve on your cheer skills.” Coach Norris also details how this is a time where the goals for the season are set along with what the expectations are. Junior Emily Collins states, “Spring practice is significant because it gets the cheerleaders prepared for football season so they can perform their best on the track during games.” Cheerleaders must be prepared for Friday nights, along with being fully stretched for optimal flexibility. Muns says, “To prepare for the season we as cheerleaders are practicing everything we know for game day. Whether that’s a cheer, chant, or dance, we are always practicing to make sure that by game day we look our very best.”
The ongoing pandemic took a toll on all sports these past seasons. Last fall, the cheerleaders had to wear masks when arriving on the field, get temperature checks, and be socially distanced on and off the field. When asked about the protocols for this upcoming practice, Coach Norris says, “The spacing is larger, contact is limited, and each are responsible to have their own mask and water bottle.” The pandemic really effects the cheerleaders for their dances, in which they have to be close together, as well as their stunting. Collins says, “we all are spread out all the time.” These protocols also affect the team dynamic. Muns states, “As a team, we all want to rally around each other and huddle together. But because of the pandemic, we have to maintain distance, making the team togetherness of the team suffer. But, we are still able to practice great teamwork and sportsmanship regardless.”
Both Muns and Collins are entering their senior seasons as a Jacket cheerleaders. This comes with many exciting events, including: senior night and homecoming celebrations. When asked what they were most looking forward to, Muns responded, “I am most looking forward to cheering on my Yellow Jackets on Friday nights. There is nothing like the feeling of being under the stadium lights, on the side lines, when the bleachers are packed. I am also looking forward to growing closer with the girls on the team and building new friendships with my new teammates!” Collins also had a positive response, saying, “I look forward to being able to cheer at the football games for one more year. It’s always a fun time cheering with my friends and it’s always super fun!”
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