On Saturday, Nov. 14, the WJ cheer team competed in their county competition and took home the second place trophy. The squad was coming off back-to-back championships in division three, and it was their first year competing in the more competitive division two.
Senior captain Dounia Benahmed said the team worked especially hard to prepare for the higher division.
“[We] incorporat[ed] more tumbling, more jumps. and much harder stunts in our competition routine to completely max out our points on the score sheet,” Benahmed said.
Junior captain Simone Sober agreed that the cheerleaders raised the stakes this year.
“I definitely think we are more motivated this year to prove to everyone that we belong in division two,” Sober noted.
The team of 29 performed an original routine complete with stunts, cheers and dancing to a mix of songs all by pop icon Beyonce.
“One of our coaches, Vanessa, mixed the music herself. All of the girls love it because it’s Beyonce themed, so it really helps pump all of us up when we’re performing and show some sass,” Benahmed explained.
When it was announced that WJ had clenched the second place spot, the crowd erupted in cheers, and the team was clearly elated.
“My favorite part of competition is when we cheer to the crowd and everyone gets excited,” Sober said.
The historic win ends the fall season for WJ cheer, and the girls will now transition into their winter season. There’s no doubt they will continue to bring the noise and keep WJ cheering.