The Carlmont cheer team is preparing for the Jamz Slam City, a cheer and dance regional competition, at the Cow Palace on Saturday, Dec. 1.
They may be nervous, but all of them show excitement in their preparation and are determined to do well in their performance. It will be their first competition of the year.
“For football games, we have a week to perfect the routine. Then for a competition, we take about a month or two,” Jianna Lloyd, a junior base, said.
In the chilly Carlmont dance studio, all the cheerleaders who are going to the competition warm up, preparing to practice their competition routine. They practice flips, tumbles, and twists.
They start with stretching so they do not injure themselves during their dances and stunts. They move on to spelling out Carlmont with each kick to warm up their legs. Then, they work on the dancing portion of their routine before the stunts.
The flyers are freshmen Alyssa Kent and Sophia Morgan, sophomore Tara Bakhtegan, and juniors Taryn Schloss and Sadie Lyman. Together, they perform scorpions, arabesques, basket tosses, and scales with the support of the bases.
“It’s scary, but I know that if I fall down, my bases are there to catch me, so I’m not really worried about getting hurt. I’m more worried about looking good in the air,” Lyman said.
Many of the cheerleaders look forward to going onstage.
“I like the thrill of when we go out there; you see everyone watching and it’s just really fun. I just really like performing,” Savannah Ponce, a sophomore front spotter said.
The team works very well together and they have created a close bond with each other over this past school year. It helps up in the air, down on the ground, and all the catching in between. When mistakes happen, they recover quickly. When bases catch their flyer incorrectly on occasion, they get right back into the routine as if nothing happened. The show goes on and the team stays strong.
They have earned the trust from their coaches to do well in their competition helping boost their performance, routines, and spirit.
“I think we’re doing pretty well,” said Morgan. “Our coaches are very confident in us, so I think we’re going to do ok.”
