Cheer Has Fun at Nationals
Photo courtesy of Mya Casey.
During President’s Day weekend, ACP’s Varsity Cheer girls took a trip down to Anaheim, California for the United Spirit Association National Competition at the Anaheim Convention Center. Unfortunately, none of the groups placed, but the girls displayed incredible sportsmanship and hard work. Good job, Knights!
I asked one of the cheerleaders, junior Mya Casey, for her thoughts on the competition. Mya, an easygoing and kind person I’m honored to be friends with, excitedly accepted:
Q: How did you prep for the competition? For how long?
A: We had been prepping for the competition for a few months and constantly running it during practice. We also incorporated our stunting sequences into basketball games and other events.
Q: How do you guys feel about the competition?
A: You could definitely tell that people, especially the newcomers, were stressed out over competing. Some of us, however, who had experienced it before, were just excited and hyped up to perform and show what we had been practicing.
Q: What was your favorite part out of the entire competition?
A: My favorite part, personally, was participating in the “five man”. It was the first time ACP sent a group like that to compete, and I was really happy to perform with some of my close friends.
Q: What do you do beforehand to prep for your performance?
A: Before we compete and go on stage, we always warm up, stretch, and run through our routine counts. Then, we give a few pep talks and just remind everyone to have fun, so we can all loosen up.
Q: What is the hardest part/stunt to your routine?
A: The hardest stunt of the routine, in my opinion, is the “ground-up high-t0-high tik” in the end pyramid. This is where the flyer has to switch her weight from one foot to another in the middle of the stunt. It’s always exciting once we hit it, though!
Thank you to Mya for agreeing to this quick interview and giving us a cheerleader’s perspective of the competition. Nice job to all our cheerleaders; we can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us at this Friday’s pep assembly!
