On Jan. 25, Plainfield North held the conference tournament for girls’ cheerleading, a precursor to qualify for the state tournament.
The girls’ cheerleading team spends every year focusing on their devotion and commitment, and this step of success was their moment to show it off. This year’s performance at the conference tournament left the team and their audience proud.
“Our performance at conference drove everyone to have a great last push at sectionals,” senior captain Avery Vantilburg said. “Having the opportunity to host a conference, let alone my senior season, was so special, while having a few hiccups throughout the routine, we went into sectionals week wanting redemption, as we always push to do the best we can.”
Over time, doing a competitive sport sets higher goals not only for the individual themselves but as a whole team. Whether it is months or years, having the right people makes every step more simple.
“I’m really going to miss my teammates the most, we spent almost every day together, building a strong bond that means so much to me,” senior captain Maya Walk said. “Their support helped me through the cheer season, and I truly couldn’t have done it without them, they made my senior year unforgettable.”
In order to meet these set expectations, the team commits themselves to improve for each competition whether it is with the team or alone. As fierce as this sport comes out to be, preparing the body and mindset is a priority.
“We trained harder with extra practices, working on timing, endurance and technique. Conditioning played a big role in keeping us strong and ready for our performance,” Walk said. “Hosting added extra excitement and motivation because we wanted to represent our school well. It pushed us to be even more prepared, both physically and mentally to give a good performance.”
The girls cheerleading coach, Taylor Hamilton prepared these girls for every accomplishment they have achieved and still prepares them for their future.
“We ultimately prepared no differently for Conference than we do for other competitions,” Vantilburg said. “We focused on creating our own energy within each other, rather than our own energy within each other, rather than simply relying on the audience to hype us up.”
Throughout these four years, cheerleading has taught these girls more than the physical aspect of their sport, but it has built the team’s confidence through the ups and downs. All their hard work and effort was able to be seen by more than just their own eyes.
“Success looks different for every team, but for our program we call success any time you do something better than your last,” Vantilburg said. “A huge outcome is not needed in order to be successful, but it is important to notice every little thing as a win, we emphasize that success is defined by effort, and it is only up to you to decide if you are successful or not.”
