Elkhorn North High School’s cheer team is having an incredible year, showing that their dedication, hard work, and team spirit have truly paid off. They have achieved some remarkable achievements and set new goals for the team’s future.
The team advanced to the second round at the national level, a significant improvement from previous years. Last year, they placed 5th in the state and got out in the first round or pre-lims at nationals.
“Advancing to the second round at semis was one of our biggest accomplishments this year,” Varsity cheer coach Gabby Schneider said. “All of our effort shows off in the end.”
Cheer [practices are physically and mentally demanding. When stunting in the air, if the smallest thing goes wrong, the whole stunt falls and sends everyone else into a domino effect. After falling, the mental side of cheer comes through. Mental blocks, self-confidence, and doubtfulness fill the mind.
“Some of our biggest challenges when competing is that we are not a huge school, but it is also one of our biggest advantages because we are so closely bonded,” Schneider said.
Adding to their list of accomplishments, the cheer team recently took home the state championship title from Grand Island, Nebraska. Winning a state is a huge honor and reflects their excellence in the sport. It gives confidence that wasn’t there before and gives hope for the future.
“Making it to nationals for the second year was already a big deal for us, but being able to advance past prelims during my senior year made my experience better,” Senior cheer captain Emma Carter said.
This victory is a combined effort of countless hours of practice, steady commitment, and a strong bond amongst team members.
While they practice their comp routine once a week, they spend countless hours together, getting ready for games and running through different cheer routines after school.
Our competition routine only practices once a week, which means we have to give it our all and really be nit-picky about what we are working on,” Junior captain Alyssa Zagurski said.
Their success at state has brought a great amount of pride to the school and community, inspiring future cheer athletes to strive for the same goal next year.
Our cheer team’s outstanding performance this year, from advancing to nationals, to winning the state championship, has been nothing short of amazing. Their achievements have set a new standard for excellence and have shown what can be accomplished with hard work and teamwork.
“Setting that standard for the future and just letting these girls have fun is the most important thing to me,” Schneider said. “I am so glad to be their coach and see what the future brings for us.”
