Roosevelt Takes on the Cheerleading Nationals
Junior Varsity cheerleaders won bragging rights for bringing home their first place trophy Feb. 19. This year the nationals competition took place in Galveston, Texas at the United Cheer Center.
“We practiced for three hours straight everyday after school, and we did a lot of conditioning so when we went out there we wouldn’t be tired,” Clarissa Esquivel, freshman, said.
Working together as a team is a major way to prepare for competitions, but some cheerleaders worked to perfect themselves. Some cheerleaders had to personally prepare. Whether it be emotionally, physically, or mentally these girls took every step to do their best at nationals.
“I would think over the counts in my head and I would look at myself in the mirror and act like I was performing for the judges,” Michelle Rivera, freshman, said.
With many different schools competing, Roosevelt could see their competition face to face. There were schools from all parts of Texas, including Harlendale and a lot of All Stars. Some of the girls could have found all the different teams intimidating, but the Roosevelt girls smiled in the faces of the competition and gave an excellent performance.
“They were really good. We were really looking forward to seeing what to expect next year,” Lauren Moreno, sophomore, said.
In competition many things can go wrong. Some girls can be tossed up and not be caught or stumble during a routine. Luckily for the Roosevelt cheerleaders they did not have any problems to report back.
“We didn’t really have any difficulties for JV, we just gave all we had,” Amber Balboa, junior, said.
When it comes to cheerleading, there is more than shouting out loud and clapping to the beat. Most cheerleaders are elite gymnasts that fly through the air doing back hand springs and some are tossed up fifteen feet in the air. It takes a lot of perseverance and trust to do what these girls do. Winning nationals was a just reward for all the hard work each young lady put in for their team.
