Wakefield cheerleaders place second in Wake County Cheerleading Competition

Cheerleading does not just involve waving pom poms around in the air while cheering on the sidelines at football and basketball games; it also involves dedication, hard work, time, and talent. The Wakefield High School varsity cheerleading team recently showed that they had all of that, including other challenging skills such as tumbling and jumps when they placed second at the Wake County Public School Varsity Cheerleading Competition on January 28th.

Head Cheerleading Coach LaShonda Haddock was especially excited and proud of how well her team did at the competition.

“The girls did outstanding, they placed second in an extremely difficult division,” Haddock said. “Wake County has a tradition of producing excellent cheer teams that always dominate state competitions, so to come in second to teams in this county shows the level of talent our girls here at Wakefield have.”

But their high scoring place did not come without many months of hard practices and conditioning.

“It takes months and months of practice to finalize a routine, and even includes changing it at times so that it will be perfect when we perform at competitions,” senior Blayne Furr said.

Unlike other sports, the cheer season spans much of the school year, starting in August and continuing through February.

“The season consists of weekly practices, Saturday practices, and long hours,” Haddock said. “We have been training since August 1st and it’s February and we are still going. Cheer is a long grueling season and we have to focus not only on our own competitions, but we also have to focus on cheering on the football and basketball teams. It’s really a lot, but it’s all about the W.”

The season was not always smooth sailing; there were plenty of hardships the team had to overcome.

“We had to work really hard this year because we had people who were on different teams such as all-star teams, so some days they would not be there so we would have to fill in for them. We just really had to come together as a team and work hard,” junior Tessa Garst said.

When injuries occurred and challenges ensued, the team was able to step up and continue working hard towards their perfect season.

“We have had a number of injuries this season, including multiple concussions and sprains. When these injuries occur, entire stunt groups are compromised,” Haddock said. “It’s not like other sports, when the point guard is out, you just put in a substitute. With cheer, if a member of a stunt group is out, that entire group cannot practice, a pyramid can’t go up, and the entire routine is comprised. In cheer you often operate as one unit, you can’t do it without the other team members.”

Contributing to the team’s successful season was the addition of new talent to the team.

“More girls have joined the team that did competitive cheer which has brought more talent, so our skill level has increased a lot,” Furr said.

Overall, the girls are excited about how well they did this season and how close the entire team has become.

“This season has been really good, we had a lot of difficulty in our routine and we were able to pull it all together,” sophomore Kiersten Plowden said. “We are also a really tight knit team and have great friendships which has helped us to succeed.”

Coach LaShonda Haddock revealed her secret to having a great season and performing a perfect routine. As this season concludes, she is excited and hopeful for next season.

“It’s all about concentration and focus,” Haddock said. “You have to concentrate on your counts, your part in the routine, and where you have to be next so that you don’t get hit during tumbling. All in all, I just try to make sure that the girls have fun during the season. It’s not a new concept; if you are having fun, and if there is a little humor incorporated in everything, it goes a long way to make the season more enjoyable.”