When snow came, canceling school for three days, most sports panicked- missing three midseason practices. However, not cheer, they moved their practices online and got straight back to work. Not taking three days off in their midseason. The cheer team made the transition online to practice. The cheer squad had the plan all along, it had been something they had done in the past. “I wasn’t caught off guard by the online practices, because I knew it had been done before,” junior Callie Gutmann said.
The team wasn’t going to let the canceled school days stop them, they showed determination and commitment. The cheerleaders joined the meetings even when school was canceled and still took the opportunity to practice and train. “ Although school was canceled due to unsafe conditions, the cheer squad persevered and found a way to still have an efficient practice.,“ Gutmann said. Their coach, Coach Tanya Lee, wasn’t going to let this stop them from training and working on their routine.
Many of the girls however had never done online practices before, “The experience of doing the online practices was good, it was productive and ensured that all the cheer girls could master the new cheer for the pep rally,” Gutmann said. The team is more than just a team, “The whole cheer squad is very supportive,” Gutmann said, “Our captains and coach are great leaders and offered a lot of support and assistance,” Gutmann added. The online practice allowed the team to ask each other questions and perfect their cheer. “It was a little bit weird to do a practice online but it was fine because we were able to talk to each other the whole time,” junior Emerson Koenig said.
With the pep rally approaching fast, this extra practice was vital for the team’s success. “The new cheer we were learning is super complex,” Gutmann shared. The team doesn’t participate in competitions in the winter. However, they perform at pep rallies, and halftime of basketball games where they have to know their cheers for during the game too. It’s demanding. That’s why they must have as many practices as possible where they can perfect their cheers. ”[the online practices] provided a foundation, but it was still crucial we practice independently outside of the team practices,” junior Izzy Triandafilou said.
The team felt the practice was extremely helpful in preparing for their cheers and performances. “I think it helped a lot because it was a way for us to be able to teach things to the team so they know it before we went back to regular practice,” Koenig said. The practices, which weren’t as helpful as in-person still proved important. “Online practices helped maintain some level of progress, but they weren’t as effective as in-person practices,” Triandafilou said.
With more snow expected this winter, maintaining peek form for the athletes is important. That’s why as the winter goes on it would be useful for other teams to follow suit. Online practices, which may not be as helpful as in-person, can still be used to keep the team in shape and ready. “For the most part it’s good, you can ask questions and get feedback in real time, while also working on your cheers and performances,” Koenig said.
