The WCA Varsity cheer team is excited for to cheer on the wildcats this Fall after winning 3rd in Regionals this past July.  They placed third in one of the toughest divisions in St. Louis but the team later found out that, based on their score, they were actually fourth in the State after all the regional competitions were scored.

“It proved our hard work had paid off and we knew it would show our school how far we’ve come,” said Emily Baum, senior.

Everyone on the team would agree that every cheerleader has worked hard and improved immensely over the summer.

“We’ve improved in our ability to learn new things quickly and implement them during practice,” said Hannah Hickman, senior.

After proving their improvement and ability at the Regionals competition, the team is now excited to do what they enjoy most; Cheering at football and basketball games.

“We are so excited for football season.  We’ve spent the summer and a lot of the school year up until now in competition mode, and now we get to do the stuff we know and have fun!  We love cheering for games and have been looking forward to that first football game since tryouts in April, ” said Hickman, one of the team’s captains.

The team has not only grown in their ability to cheer but the girls have also grown closer with each other from being together so often, practicing and helping one another improve.  The team has many sleepovers and hang out sessions outside of cheer.  Being such great friends has helped the girls on the team enjoy practice.

“Being surrounded by girls who truly love and care about you makes makes cheer so much more enjoyable.  We always have so much fun at practice that it almost doesn’t feel like a practice,” said Baum.

Because the team is so close, it makes it easier for each cheerleader to trust the other members of the team.  Cheer is a sport where everyone must work together, or the stunts will not be successful.  Trust is a large aspect of cheering in order to have a outstanding squad.

‘We depend on each other more than other teams and clubs.  We are literally putting our lives into each others hand and so we need each others trust.  That is my favorite part about being on this unique team,” said Hickman.

The team will continue to prepare for State in a week and then focus on cheering for the wildcats this fall and winter.  The squad is working on hitting some harder stunts and is constantly conditioning so that each team member stays strong.  Every girl is dedicated to continue to improve until state on September 14th at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

“We even take a tumbling class on Thursdays to increase our tumbling skills along with stretching.  It seems like cheer is always on my mind,” says Baum.

As the team continues to prepare for state, Westminster students get to enjoy some of their new routines and tricks.  The squad is practicing new techniques all the time.

“There’s been a lot of trial and error, but we know what we will be up against at State, so we can put together the best routine for the Mizzou Arena.  We’re hoping for the best,” said Hickman.

The squad will continue to work hard with their eyes set on State but after that, they are grateful to cheer WCA on to victory.