Soaring high in the sky, jumping with cheer, flips on flips, yelling to the top of their lungs, supporting the team, and keeping the fans excited: Cheerleaders have the spirit! Yes they do!

Cheerleading is not a simple sport to compete in. Cheerleaders don’t just yell chants to hype up the crowd and the team. It’s far more work than most people think. In fact, it takes a lot of skill, both physically and mentally.

One important requirement for cheer is working together as group—especially when stunting! While a jump makes each individual person really stand out with how good the form is and how high her jump is, it’s the teamwork that makes the whole squad pop off and accomplish greater heights.

However, showing off cool ticks is always a favorite amongst squad members. Tumbling is one important aspect of that, which can make a team stand out as really unique and very advanced. Some examples of amazing tumbling feats are back handsprings, tucks, layouts, and full flips. Members with those skills often add in some doubles or round offs. Thus, stunts are very important to the performance. And, to pull them off, there has to trust in themselves and others—not to mention the need for communication to see what everyone is doing and is on the same page. Among some of the amazing stunts are libs; basket tosses are also classics.

Blazers have a dynamic cheerleading squad—all three of them: Varsity, JV, and Freshman. Although they face stiff competition each year, the teams will be presented with a new sort next year when competing for a spot on the combined school’s squad. Open gym for football season cheer tryouts has already kicked off. The actual tryouts for Elkhart High cheerleading is April 27 to May 1 at Elkhart Memorial.

Sarah Fisher, a freshman, has participated in cheer for almost five years now and has been on the Central squad for both football and basketball season this year. As a flyer when it comes to stunts, Fisher intends to do her utmost at tryouts for the upcoming football season. “There will be more competition,” she notes, “but I’ll give it my best and go in with a great attitude!”