“Cheer has changed over the years. You probably thought of us as pompoms and sidelines, but here at Kenwood we are competitive and we leave our hearts out on the mat,” states sophomore Eliza Hawkes of the Kenwood varsity cheer team.
Cheer is no longer just a sideline spectacle; it has evolved into a physically demanding competitive sport. Competitive cheerleading takes coordination and conditioning beyond belief. A cheer routine may take only 2 minutes and 30 seconds, but in that short period of time there is stunting, tumbling, baskets, pyramids, jumps, choreography, on top of the cheer itself.
Getting a foot to the face, spraining a wrist, getting dropped from the peak of a basket, and many more are just simple things that happen within a two hour practice. Cheerleading has often been dismissed as “not a sport”.
Kenwood athletic director, Mr. Rucco says, “I have been here a long time, 23 years. And to me, the cheer program has always been one of our most exemplary athletic programs here and like you talked about with it being trending more towards a competitive sport, we’ve always had an amazing amount of competitive success.” When asked how he has seen Kenwoods cheer team change over the years, he says, “I always see it trending forward and I’ve always been super proud of the competitive success that you guys have had in counties and regionals, so to me, it’s always a positive progression and we’ve maintained competitive success for over two decades.”
Kenwood cheer team placed 2nd at the Baltimore County Cheer Championship with a score of 117 out of 130 after going against several teams in the 3A/4A division. The Kenwood cheer team is currently sitting at 5th in the 4A division in all of the region. Coach Rucco adds, “My hope is like any other season, you girls do great in the county competitions, which I am confident you will do.” The girls on the team are utterly thrilled to be given the opportunity to advance into the regional championship. At regionals, the team will be going against teams in their 4A division, that are the best of the best in their county. With that being said, their fall season will be extended into November in order to further their progress and add difficulty to their routine.
Varsity freshman Aubrey Holland says, “I feel like our competition was amazing. We left it all on the mat and did exactly what we were supposed to do.”
Even though they happily took second place, there is still a challenge of getting gym time. While other teams such as volleyball and badminton have both practice and games, the cheerleaders of Kenwood also need it too. For most of the season, the girls have practices on the front lawn of the school, making it difficult to tumble and stunt safely. But that does not stop them from striving for perfection, using every second of time on the seven blue mats every chance they get.
Not only does cheerleading require athletic ability and the strength to complete the skills, it also requires a specific mindset. You must be able to communicate and work well with others in order to achieve success on the team. Confidence is also another key factor to success on the cheer team. Varsity freshman, Amiyah Johnson says, “Cheer has changed my entire life. It has given me opportunities to meet friends. I have gained confidence since I have started cheering and overall just had more connections with people in our school. It really has just made me a better girl in general.”
Prior to the competition athletic director Coach Ruocco shared, “ I like it when you guys advance to Harford Community College, the regional competition there, so that would be my biggest hope for the season.” And the Kenwood High School Cheerleaders did just that, they left their hearts on the mat and succeeded.
