A late start, injuries, position changes, and more have plagued the competitive cheer team, causing many setbacks to their season. Still, despite it all, the group has worked tirelessly towards perfecting their routine for the final competition at Nationals in Las Vegas, today and tomorrow.

The team faced a disadvantage from the very beginning, as they started tryouts and practices much later than many other schools in the area, leaving them with less time to work on the harder stunts and skills.

“A lot of other schools started months earlier than us, and we started fairly late in the game [in October],” captain Juliana Cruz (11) said. “Also, two of our girls weren’t able to stunt for the first competition, so we had to create a routine with two stunt groups, and the week they were able to come back, we had to add a third stunt group and change everything out.”

However, Cruz said the time constraints and re-choreographing have made the team more flexible and allowed them to focus all of their energy on the routine. 

“We’re doing so much better under pressure [because of these problems],” Cruz said. “We really had to focus. We’re dedicating so much time to doing this that we see how much each other girl wants [to do well], and that’s what keeps us going. Our coaches have been pushing us to be the very best we can, so we’re putting it all out on the mat.”

Several injuries required the team to make changes to their typical roles. Cruz, Quinn Padgett (9), and Olivia Moss (11) have all switched from their regular positions to accommodate this year’s competitive routine.

“We’ve had to put people in positions that they wouldn’t normally be in,” Padgett said. “I’m usually a backspot, but right now I’m [a base] in a stunt group and still having to compete at the same level I was as a backspot. Learning this new position has been a very difficult challenge.”

While it has forced some members to quickly learn how to play another role in stunts, according to Cruz, it’s also provided an opportunity to better understand the pressures and responsibilities that come with different positions.

“Since freshman year I’ve been basing, but I got into the role of backspot [for competitive cheer] because I’m one of the taller ones,” Cruz said. “Now that I’m in two different spots, I can understand what the other spot has to do, and it’s really nice because I feel like a mutual respect has bonded us [because of it].”

There are many elements to the routine, including stunts, chants, and the final pyramid, all of which the team has spent time perfecting and polishing. However, Padgett said the part of the show that has improved the most is the dance, and it conveys the team’s energy well throughout the performance.

“We are really enthusiastic about the dance and I think we’ve all come together and made sure that it was the best possible,” Padgett said. “The dance has definitely come a long way from what it was at the first competition [on Nov. 18]. It’s really cool to see everyone knowing it so well.”

The goal is to keep the routine as high-energy as possible. According to Moss, there are moments throughout the performance where the choreography reaches a peak, even in the beginning, such as when they do a basket by tossing a flyer high into the air. Conveying excitement through the routine while aiming for a good score in competitions requires the team to complete difficult skills throughout.

“The stunts are always the hardest part,” Padgett said. “If one person is doing something wrong, the whole thing doesn’t happen how it’s supposed to.”

This year, the competitive team is mostly composed of underclassmen. While one might assume this would lead to a diminished performance because of inexperience, Padgett said she believes that has only emphasized their dedication to the sport and the skills they’ve learned.

“There’s a lot of underclassmen on this team, but I think that’s what makes it cool,” Padgett said. “We are willing to put in work that, in the years before, mostly upperclassmen [did]. So, as underclassmen, it’s really cool to see us doing what they did [in the past].”

According to Cruz, one of only two  upperclassmen on the team, the addition of underclassmen has allowed her to share her knowledge and assist them through the more difficult parts of their routine.

“I honestly love taking that leadership role and being able to teach what I know to underclassmen,” Cruz said. “There’s a lot of freshmen on the team, and most of them were on JV and started their first year of cheer with no experience. But I feel like their stunt skills have gotten so much better, and we’re able to give constructive criticism to each other and then they take it and are able to improve from it.”

Beyond the upperclassmen taking the lead, the two coaches for the competitive team also guide the cheerleaders through the choreography and help them improve their technique. This year is coach Ronald Forrest’s first year teaching the Westview team, but Moss said his prior teaching and performing experience allows him to pass on valuable knowledge.

“[Coach Forrest] was on an all-star team for a long time and is very good at tumbling,” Moss said. “Even though we don’t have a tumbling team, he still helps with jumps and stunting. Our jumps have gotten better and now we are more synchronized.” 

Even with all of the challenges she had to overcome in her first competitive season at Westview, Padgett said she was still able to find positive aspects that stand out to her — namely, the connections she has made with her fellow cheerleaders.

“We form a really strong bond because we go through so much together,” Padgett said. “We’re putting blood, sweat, and tears into our routine, so it’s really cool to see everyone get better at the sport and grow.”

Weeks upon weeks of rehearsal will come to a head at this weekend’s Nationals. The entire routine and everything the team has worked diligently to perfect will be displayed in a final competition against other schools, which follows the first two competitions of the season where they placed 3rd. For several of the cheerleaders, it will be their first time competing in such a large competition; the whole team is anticipating the performance.

“Of course, we’re all very nervous,” Cruz said. “This is the first time we’re ever going to [compete against] lots of teams. It’s going to be a bigger stage and more people, and we’re all scared, but I feel like in the end it’ll pay off because of how much work we’re putting in.”

Despite the many challenges the cheer team has faced from the beginning of the competition season, the group is heading into Nationals with months of preparation and practice behind them. Along with the expected nerves before their final performance, Padgett said the energy and excitement is higher than ever.

“I feel confident in my teammates,” Padgett said. “I’m doing the sport that I love with a team that I love, and our routine is really good. We have everything laid out for us to hopefully take home this win, and if we can execute the routine and stay tight and look good, then we can definitely win.”