Pep squad prepares for upcoming competitions

Samo cheerleaders are currently learning new stunts for their first Universal Cheerleaders Association Regional Championship competition that will take place on Dec. 2, as well as perfecting their routine for the homecoming pep rally on Oct. 12.“We’re all super excited for competition season,” back spot and sophomore Ava Hulsman said. “We just started choreographing our routine, and we also can’t wait for the Pep Rally.”According to senior captain Chloe Abarbanel, this year, the team is half the size it was last year because cheer coach Amy Meadors was more selective and many team members graduated.“Auditions were much harder, and Meadors was less lenient, but this way we’re more of a family,” Abarbanel said.Base and junior Dominique Parks believes that although last year’s team was good, this year, Meadors required cheerleaders to step up their game, and consequently she selected a smaller, more focused team.“In the world of competitive cheer you need a great team, and a great team is one that is willing to work hard and share the same dream,” Parks said. “This year, Amy selected the team with this goal in mind, and I think she achieved it.”Many Samo cheerleaders agree about the advantages of having a smaller team. Side base and junior Harper Miller thinks the smaller team size has increased the level of motivation and dedication and has already produced beneficial results.“When the team was bigger it made some girls think that it was fine to skip out on things they thought weren’t important,” Miller said. “But with a smaller team, it’s crucial for everyone to be at every practice and do their part. Now we’re all ready to work and don’t have to worry about people in our stunt group not being there.”Even though Meadors was stricter this year, she also gave new girls a chance, so now the team has a balanced amount of new and old members.“This year the new cheerleaders are one of the best new teams we’ve had,” Abarbanel said. “They’re very responsible and are doing really well.”At the end of the summer, Meadors divided all 50 cheerleaders into three different competition groups representing their different levels: gold team, blue team and white team. Gold team comprises the highest-level competition team that goes to Florida in February to compete at nationals.“The [blue and white] teams are [also] very skilled,” senior captain Amanda Bang said. “White usually consists of our freshmen that are still learning some of the basic stunts, but they’re learning quickly.”Despite their progress, cheerleaders are also facing new obstacles. There were various rule changes issued by The American Association of Cheerleading Coaches (AACC) and administrators this year.One rule now enables cheerleaders to do inversions (flipping stunts that were illegal in the past) with certain braces. Another instead says that they are not allowed to perform any type of double down (a dismount where the flyer spins around herself) or double twisting cradle (a stunt where the flyer flips and lands on the bases). Cheerleaders are therefore working on a lot of new formations in order to accommodate the changes.According to junior and flyer Sara Reynolds, these changes have influenced all the girls because they apply to almost all positions, but some have been struggling more than others. Reynolds, whose special trick was a kick double basket toss (a stunt now illegal), has had to learn many new stunts in a very short amount of time.“The change in rules didn’t work out in my favor,” Reynolds said. “Still, as a group we are managing, and because many of our flyers are new, they’ve adapted to the rule changes better because they were less used to the old stunts that are now illegal.”With a newly improved team of driven cheerleaders, and a new opportunity for the girls to learn and attempt new stunts, cheer is off to a great start.“Overall, we’re looking at a pretty good year and I’m excited to see how competitions go,” Bang said.mazcarate@thesamohi.com