This season, the cheerleaders are starting off the season very strong. Despite all the challenges that came their way, they still managed to try their very best through showing great positivity during their performance. From the beginning to the end, all the cheerleaders were very energetic as well as the very ecstatic crowd they had.
Although, the cheerleading team has many new members this year, cheer coach Diane Buonopane reports that this season is going very well. Buonopane decided to become a coach for cheerleaders because she was a cheerleader herself for most of her life.
According to senior Gianna Giuliano, who is one out of the three captains of the team, the team has already been set up for success. She has been cheering since she was in the third grade. “[Her] mom was a cheerleader, [her] aunts were cheerleaders, and they all cheered for Pop Warner and for their high school. It encouraged [her] to become a cheerleader.” Her favorite part about cheering is the competitions she says, “you get your adrenaline pumping.”
This year Buonopane believes that all of her three captains work really well together as a team. Although they have only been in season for about three weeks prior to game last Friday, she believes that, “each [captain] brings something different to the table.” Like every other kind of sport, the cheerleaders set goals for themselves. Buonopane says one of the cheerleading team’s goals this year is to qualify for the regional competition for cheerleading where they will have a third stunt group participate and compete.
Senior Janae Rodriguez is also one of the three captains of the cheerleading team. Her personal goal is to win the GBL, for this year is the last that it could be won. “[They’re] trying to make a major comeback and come back strong and take it back,” Rodriguez says. This year, the morale for the year is up and the season has been flowing well. “[They’re] doing pretty good, [the] team is strong and [they have] good attitudes. That’s all [they] could ask for,” stated Rodriguez.
The last of the captains, senior Ereeka Metellus says, “so far, the season is going pretty good. [The] girls are coming together very nicely and this year [they’re] going to really improve and show people that [they aren’t] the same team as last year.”
The cheerleaders are doing a great job overcoming challenges that came their way. Giuliano states, “for stunting, [they] had a lot of challenges because [they] lost all the people that flew, so [they] had to teach new girls how to fly so that was [their] biggest challenge, that [they] have yet to overcome.” Other than that, the cheerleaders have not had many challenges and are ready for the rest of the season.
