Something’s been missing from Centennial’s sporting events. There was something a little off with the football games--lack of enthusiasm,
maybe?
But not any more. Cheerleading is back at CHS after several years away, thanks to a strong cheering program at the middle school, two dedicated coaches, and a team of girls who aren’t afraid to shake the status quo.
Freshman Morgan Feela and sophomore Sydney Eddings have a better appreciation of the PAC lobby than most students. For two hours a day, three days a week, Feela, Eddings, and the rest of the CHS cheerleaders meet in the tiny lobby for practice. The lack of space might cramp most team’s style, but it’s not an issue when you spend as much of your time in the air as on the ground. (And occasionally
get hit by a falling cheerleader--
ask Eddings about a white pair of Nikes to the head) “Holding
people in the air...and tumbling and yelling at the same time is not super easy,” Feela said. “It’s really
hard...but some people think cheerleading isn’t a sport.”
“It IS a sport!” yell about six of her teammates.
After watching a practice, that’s pretty obvious. It takes a lot of trust and a lot of leg muscle to do what cheerleaders do, with a smile, on a regular basis. Particularly with the cheerleader’s arial stunts, the girls who do the supporting have a
you, if not with their life, than with their unbroken ankle.
The girl on the top of the pyramid has her stresses too, as standing on the shoulders of your teammate, leaping up and backwards, and expecting
to be caught is something most people might call suicidal. Coach Alyssa Lane just calls it one
with very short notice, leaving no
time to find a replacement coach. Now that the sport is back,coaches Zech and Lane are taking it seriously.
“One, two, three, four. one, two, three, four. And if you don’t keep your legs tight up there you will be getting pushups very soon,” Lane
of the “basics.” “Cheerleading kept me in shape, that’s for sure,” said coach Alyssa Zech, a Centennial
alumni turned cheer coach. “I could eat as much pizza
as I wanted, it was great.” Cheering
left CHS originally because the previous coach had gone on to be a judge at cheerleading competitions calls during practice. Cheerleading, often called the most dangerous sport for girls, has a tendency to be underrated. People generally don’t appreciate the time and work that goes into every drill, but now that it’s back, expect that mindset to change. “It’s hard,” Eddings said, “but it’s so worth it.”