The Cinnaminson High School cheer team helps build school spirit during the fall and winter seasons. The girls cheer for both the girls’ and boys’ basketball games in the winter and the boys’ football team during the fall.
Though the separate seasons support different teams, the girls’ energy levels remain high so the dances and stunts run smoothly. It also helps that much of the squad from fall carries over to winter.
“Now it’s like a well-oiled machine where we are all on the same page. The team knows my coaching style and my expectations and it flows a little bit easier,” Head Coach Kimberly Rickus said about how the winter season compares to the fall football season.
Senior captain Jordyn Welsh, who is part of the fall and winter cheer teams, said she is grateful for the team, as it has allowed her to grow as a person and as a cheerleader.
“It has definitely given me an outlet and a really good friendship with a lot of the girls on the team, especially Kalleigh and Eliza,” Welsh said.
According to Rickus, the three senior captains play an important role on the team as they identify the team’s priorities and develop as leaders over the course of the season. Having started as freshmen on the team, the current captains have spent eight total seasons with Rickus, which has helped to build their strong relationship.
“Captains always stand out to me because typically they are seniors who I have had on the team for four years,” Rickus said. “So it really stands out to me how much they matured, and their priorities, and leadership skills.”
While the team has faced some struggles throughout the season, they have learned to overcome the challenges through communication and team bonding. With the team practicing together regularly and bonding during team dinners, the girls have learned how to work together and support one another, contributing to the team’s overall success.
Senior Kalleigh Trost acknowledges how this helps her as a leader on the team, especially when she needs to offer help to a member of the squad.
“Just practicing honesty and getting used to each other,” Trost said about how the team overcomes challenges. “We do team bonding stuff and I think that helps too because when you’re all new and not used to each other it’s harder to say, ‘You’re doing something wrong.’”
The summer practices senior captains lead unify the team in preparation for the fall season, which then carry over into the winter season.
“We do practices over the summer and we teach the dances and everything and throughout the season to help the team stay informed and together,” Trost said.
The CHS cheerleading team incorporates similar dances from the fall season to the winter season. They not only use their previously recorded music to dance to but also utilize the CHS marching band’s live music during some of their halftime performances.
“In the fall almost everything is choreographed to the marching band and the songs they play and we do that throughout the game,” Rickus said. “Then in the winter season, they cheer on the sidelines the entire game and then do a performance during halftime.”
The girls will next cheer at Thursday’s basketball double header.
