Friend us on Facebook
September 3rd, 2010
Local cheerleaders pull double duty
At Midwest City High School, Cheerleading Sponsor Meagan Bryant gives her squad a big "E" for effort.
Bryant described the last three years she has been cheer sponsor as a period of rebuilding for a squad that had lost some of its luster. Those years have been spent getting the very best possible cheerleaders, improving their training and boosting morale as they set out to fire up Bomber crowds at sporting events.
"The year I took over was a huge rebuilding year," she said. "We had to restructure, and the last few years have all been about rebuilding."
Those efforts paid off, and the squad is going to regional competitions for the first time in five years this month. This year's captains are Paige Baker and Kaitlin Hahn. The squad also welcomed a male cheerleader this year, Justin Tarver.
"This is the first year for us to be coed in six or seven years," Bryant said.
The Bomber cheerleading squad is also unique in that there were no juniors or seniors last year. That allowed additional time to train young cheerleaders and to then keep them around for a few years.
"It was an awesome year to take our freshmen and sophomores and really mold the program," Bryant said.
The Bomber squad will have its work cut out for the 17 cheerleaders, as they hit the field with their counterparts from schools around the state this football season. Likewise, the cheer squads at Carl Albert High School and Del City High School are practicing hard to make this a red letter year for cheerleaders in the district.
PREPPING FOR PLAY
The powerhouse cheer squad at CAHS has 18 cheerleaders, led by captains Natalie Dommert and Brittnie Roe. At a recent practice at the high school, the cheerleaders were shouting their cheers, jumping, tumbling, making human pyramids and prepping for their debut at the football game Sept. 3. This year, they are hoping to add a few more accolades to their trophy case. The CAHS squad has 11 state championships and four national championships. Their most recent national win was in 2007, and they last took state in 2008.
Grace Dozier, cheer coach at CAHS, has led the program since 1998. She said this year's squad of 18 cheerleaders is on par with numbers in previous years.
"That's about average," she said.
At Del City High School, Timber Oaks is beginning her second year as cheer sponsor. The squad has 11 cheerleaders this year. On average, Oaks said there are usually about 12. Many of the same faces are on the squad from last year. Only one senior graduated. This year, there are only two seniors, and the squad was rounded out with two freshmen who came on board.
This year's Eagle cheerleaders are led by Kali Roberson and Antonia Long.
In the past few years, the squad has been racking up awards and recognition. Oaks said the squad received the spirit stick the last two years at camp. In May, Roberson was named Jim Thorpe All-Star Cheerleader from Del City and cheered in the Jim Thorpe All-Star games. In June, all 11 cheerleaders were named "All-American Cheerleader."
NO WALK IN THE PARK
The cheerleaders and their coaches alike will tell you that their sport is no walk in the park. In addition to constant training and conditioning, even in the off-season, no cheerleader is guaranteed a place on the squad. Everyone from an incoming freshman to a captain must go through clinics and tryouts in the spring. The selection is out of the hands of their coaches, because they are judged by representatives from the National Cheerleaders Association, a governing body of cheerleading nationwide.
Certain things must be in place to distinguish a good cheerleading program from a great cheerleading program. Each coach works to instill those values into their squad members. Dozier said it is important to outline goals and stick to them.
"Once they have those goals, they have to commit to what it's going to take to achieve those goals," she said. "You can say you want to win state, but have to commit to what it will take to win."
Bryant has worked with her young squad to set goals to be the best they can possibly be.
"The expectations are set high, and we've all come together and said, 'We're not going to settle for anything less,'" she said.
Oaks has her eyes on the prize this year, and has told her squad repeatedly that they can be great. But it will not be easy if they do not stay focused.
"A good cheer squad can have talent but no drive or ambition to do anything with it," she said. "A great cheer squad has talent along with the drive to be successful. They'll work as one and push until they're at the top."
In addition to football games and several local and national competitions, cheerleaders also cheer on the teams in basketball and wrestling. In the spring, Dozier said they can often find themselves in uniform and cheering four days a week.
"The purpose of cheerleading is to support the athletic groups in our schools," she said. "We are the support for all the sports."
BIG SHOULDERS
Dommert and Roe understand the responsibility on their shoulders: lead the cheerleading squad, no matter how tired they might be, to keep the crowd screaming for the Titans.
"It's definitely fun," Dommert said.
photos The Carl Albert cheerleaders practice in preparation for the upcoming football season. Photos/Mark Hancock
Bryant described the last three years she has been cheer sponsor as a period of rebuilding for a squad that had lost some of its luster. Those years have been spent getting the very best possible cheerleaders, improving their training and boosting morale as they set out to fire up Bomber crowds at sporting events.
"The year I took over was a huge rebuilding year," she said. "We had to restructure, and the last few years have all been about rebuilding."
Those efforts paid off, and the squad is going to regional competitions for the first time in five years this month. This year's captains are Paige Baker and Kaitlin Hahn. The squad also welcomed a male cheerleader this year, Justin Tarver.
"This is the first year for us to be coed in six or seven years," Bryant said.
The Bomber cheerleading squad is also unique in that there were no juniors or seniors last year. That allowed additional time to train young cheerleaders and to then keep them around for a few years.
"It was an awesome year to take our freshmen and sophomores and really mold the program," Bryant said.
The Bomber squad will have its work cut out for the 17 cheerleaders, as they hit the field with their counterparts from schools around the state this football season. Likewise, the cheer squads at Carl Albert High School and Del City High School are practicing hard to make this a red letter year for cheerleaders in the district.
PREPPING FOR PLAY
The powerhouse cheer squad at CAHS has 18 cheerleaders, led by captains Natalie Dommert and Brittnie Roe. At a recent practice at the high school, the cheerleaders were shouting their cheers, jumping, tumbling, making human pyramids and prepping for their debut at the football game Sept. 3. This year, they are hoping to add a few more accolades to their trophy case. The CAHS squad has 11 state championships and four national championships. Their most recent national win was in 2007, and they last took state in 2008.
Grace Dozier, cheer coach at CAHS, has led the program since 1998. She said this year's squad of 18 cheerleaders is on par with numbers in previous years.
"That's about average," she said.
At Del City High School, Timber Oaks is beginning her second year as cheer sponsor. The squad has 11 cheerleaders this year. On average, Oaks said there are usually about 12. Many of the same faces are on the squad from last year. Only one senior graduated. This year, there are only two seniors, and the squad was rounded out with two freshmen who came on board.
This year's Eagle cheerleaders are led by Kali Roberson and Antonia Long.
In the past few years, the squad has been racking up awards and recognition. Oaks said the squad received the spirit stick the last two years at camp. In May, Roberson was named Jim Thorpe All-Star Cheerleader from Del City and cheered in the Jim Thorpe All-Star games. In June, all 11 cheerleaders were named "All-American Cheerleader."
NO WALK IN THE PARKThe cheerleaders and their coaches alike will tell you that their sport is no walk in the park. In addition to constant training and conditioning, even in the off-season, no cheerleader is guaranteed a place on the squad. Everyone from an incoming freshman to a captain must go through clinics and tryouts in the spring. The selection is out of the hands of their coaches, because they are judged by representatives from the National Cheerleaders Association, a governing body of cheerleading nationwide.
Certain things must be in place to distinguish a good cheerleading program from a great cheerleading program. Each coach works to instill those values into their squad members. Dozier said it is important to outline goals and stick to them.
"Once they have those goals, they have to commit to what it's going to take to achieve those goals," she said. "You can say you want to win state, but have to commit to what it will take to win."
Bryant has worked with her young squad to set goals to be the best they can possibly be.
"The expectations are set high, and we've all come together and said, 'We're not going to settle for anything less,'" she said.
Oaks has her eyes on the prize this year, and has told her squad repeatedly that they can be great. But it will not be easy if they do not stay focused.
"A good cheer squad can have talent but no drive or ambition to do anything with it," she said. "A great cheer squad has talent along with the drive to be successful. They'll work as one and push until they're at the top."
In addition to football games and several local and national competitions, cheerleaders also cheer on the teams in basketball and wrestling. In the spring, Dozier said they can often find themselves in uniform and cheering four days a week.
"The purpose of cheerleading is to support the athletic groups in our schools," she said. "We are the support for all the sports."
BIG SHOULDERS
Dommert and Roe understand the responsibility on their shoulders: lead the cheerleading squad, no matter how tired they might be, to keep the crowd screaming for the Titans.
"It's definitely fun," Dommert said.
photos The Carl Albert cheerleaders practice in preparation for the upcoming football season. Photos/Mark Hancock
Copyright ©2012 Eastword News. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of content in any manner without permission is prohibited. To obtain permission, contact us.