d plenty of Centurion spirit, UC High’s Cheer Team is arriving to Friday Night Lights to show the school that they are ready to “Go, Fight, Win!”
After she brought home a first place award at the 2024 Division III CIF Cheer competition her first year coaching at UC High, Cheer Coach Krystal Kammer is enthusiastic going into her second year. Kammer said, “It is impressive to me how hard the girls are working. I really feel that the JV squad is already more talented than our varsity squad last year at this point, so they are pretty amazing. I am excited to see how hard they are working.”
The cheerleaders make it look almost effortless when they shoot girls up in the air and dance like it is nothing, but the team starts putting in practice hours as soon as June to make sure the team is fully ready for football season. Senior Cheyennne Cammack said, “During summer, we have practices and we have a week of cheer camp, which is six hours long for five days, to prepare for the new season.”
On the track every Friday, the girls work hard to keep the spirit alive in the student section with their sharp moves, catchy chants, and big smiles. Kammer said, “We want you to scream in the stands every time we are up. Every time we are cheering, we want you to say it back with us. We want you to be as wacky and wild spirited as you can, and we are hoping to just get you up and out of your seat.”
The team has definitely grown in size this year and although gaining so many new members can be quite the hurdle, the team has been able to use it to their advantage. “We have a lot more cheerleaders this year, which means a lot more stunts we can throw. That also means a lot of people who have to learn new skills,” said Cammack.
These Lady Cents work hard to make every pep rally performance and every game entertaining for all members of the UC High family, but there is a lot more to the sport than just the girls’ athleticism and performance. “The strengths of our team this year include dedication, and I feel like for varsity, leadership is a huge strength. I have seen all our seniors come together and really show how to work together. It’s pretty impressive that they can figure that out just between them,” said Kammer.
It is safe to say the team has come very far since Kammer arrived on the mat, as the cheerleaders keep mastering new stunts, and they continue to constantly improve. Junior Gretel Moritz said that the team is becoming more comfortable thanks to the support of returning members and coaches, and despite the more challenging material, it’s still a lot of fun.
The energy the team has is contagious when cheerleaders tumble across the track or their poms shake under bright lights, and that is just the team’s intention. Kammer said, “I want to accomplish more school spirit, more unity within said school spirit, with us doing more with the band, spirit section, and other sports, working together to create a more unified spirit.”