By Stephanie Ramirez, Courier Staff Writer

On March 23rd, the Cheer team left for Nationals. The cheer team was participating in the USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim. This was a 5 day trip which also included Disneyland. Throughout the whole season, we had been preparing for this event. We participated in other competitions to get as much practice as we possibly could. We qualified 3 times to attend Nationals, and improved each time we competed. Nationals could have been better for us but I truly think we performed and ended the routine strong. We accomplished a lot this season and that is all that matters, we improved our skills and I can’t wait to see what the upcoming season has in store for us.

A junior, Chinarose Carlos said “Nationals was a whole lot of fun. It was a good break from all the yelling and the tension. Nationals was exciting and very emotional. We could have done better and it is disappointing knowing we could have it all if we pushed just a little more but I am proud.” Cheer is a year round sport, and as a team we did grow and learned a lot together.

A freshman, Alyssa Caparas said “It was an unforgettable experience, it was my first year going and it was lots of fun. Regardless of how we performed, we did great and I focused on what did instead of what we could have done better. This season taught me I could achieve a lot with those girls and showed me I could do a lot more than I thought I could.” We all learned throughout this season whether it was a team or an individual skill.

Cheer is intense and does require a lot of dedication. Each season tends to be rough but it is all worth it. We make memories and we try to accomplish many goals as a team, and I do believe this season showed just how badly the team wanted to improve and we did. It is good to end this season strong. Next season will be very much different because cheer is becoming a sport, so expect a much harder but fun season.