September 5, 2015
Before school year performances, Isabelle Chan, senior and varsity cheerleader, and her 21 other teammates spend three months practicing.
However, Chan said, “The behind-the-scenes preparation and work that goes into cheerleading events are not always acknowledged. People don’t think it is that big of a deal. The stunting is dangerous and takes a lot of athletic capability, and people don’t realize that.”
During summer, practices are twice a week, two hours each day, starting at 8 a.m. In August, varsity practices are held five days a week, Monday through Friday. There is also practice during weekends if needed to ensure perfection for the fall pep rally.
“Varsity summer practice is primarily about preparing for the school year,” Sophie Bjorkman, senior and varsity cheer captain, said. “The stunts we perform for games and pep rallies take a lot of practice to perfect.”
Along with the regular summer practices, National Cheer Association (NCA) Camp is a significant part of summer preparation time for KHS cheerleaders. NCA Camp is a new event for the freshman squad as well as sophomores on JV. However, returning juniors and seniors, such as Chan and Bjorkman, went to camp for the second time.
“Camp this year was really fun and exciting,” Chan said. “As seniors, we knew what we were doing, and even the newbies caught on really quickly.”
New cheerleaders at camp had to adjust to the busy schedule. The NCA Camp, held at Southeast Missouri State University, was four days and three nights, and cheerleaders from all over Missouri were stunting, chanting and dancing for 12 hours each day.
“Camp days are long and filled with constant activity and very minimal breaks,” Abby Connors, sophomore and JV cheerleader, said. “There were a lot of hard parts that came with it, but looking back, I got closer to my team and learned a lot of new material, from chants to jumps to dances.”
The captains of the varsity, JV and freshman squads are responsible for the organization and communication between their teams and coaches. They work to keep the cheer teams at KHS functioning and peppy,
“As a captain, I need to help keep the team positive all the time,” Bjorkman said. “Being a captain means being a good leader and teammate no matter what the situation is.”
Cheerleading focuses on more than just smiling. Time is consumed learning stunts, chants, cheers and routines.
“Cheerleaders practice and work as hard as any other athlete,” Bjorkman said. “Most things cheerleaders do are definitely not easy.”
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