Cheerleaders overcome a season that was anything but routine
The cheerleaders performed their routine for the last time at the Wednesday pep rally. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Junior Cecelia Trahan strikes a pose.
A cheerleader stands tall.
The cheerleaders performed their routine for the last time at the Wednesday pep rally.
The cheerleaders begin their routine.
A cheerleader prepares to be lifted into the air for a stunt.
Some of the girls hug after finishing their routine.
Athletes prepare to lift a cheerleader into the air. Photos by Abby Van Selous
The cheerleaders performed their routine for the last time at the Wednesday pep rally. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Junior Cecelia Trahan strikes a pose.
A cheerleader stands tall.
The cheerleaders performed their routine for the last time at the Wednesday pep rally.
The cheerleaders begin their routine.
A cheerleader prepares to be lifted into the air for a stunt.
Some of the girls hug after finishing their routine.
Athletes prepare to lift a cheerleader into the air. Photos by Abby Van Selous
Facing a sea of green, the Dartmouth cheerleaders performed their competition routine for the final time this season.
Athletes were lifted up or jumped into the air as fellow high schoolers showed enthusiasm and onlooking eighth graders watched from the stands at a pep rally on Wednesday, Nov. 27.
The team’s final performance comes a little over a week after the team competed in regionals, in a season when they were unsure they would even qualify.
“We weren’t sure if we could score high enough,” said Head Coach Rebecca Braga. “But we did, so that was a great accomplishment after the tough few weeks that we had.”
To qualify for regionals, the team had to score high in league competitions.
Braga said it’s “very hard” for the team to make it to states because the squad has to go up against all other division two teams.
The season started smoothly with few obstacles, but it would not remain this way. One athlete ended up with a major concussion, several left the team and throughout the season girls were getting sick.
“Under the pressure we didn’t crack, we did our best and we exceeded those expectations,” said junior Aubrey Fernandes. “So I’m just really proud of the season.”
According to junior Cecelia Trahan, consistency is crucial in cheer because every week of practice is meant to build off of what was done the previous week.
“We had a lot of trials and tribulations — a lot of rebuilding. Pretty much every week we were reworking our routine, so [there were] a lot of setbacks,” she said.
With athletes facing injuries and illnesses, consistency was hard to find.
“With all of our setbacks, we had to start at square one every week, which was really challenging, but we were able to overcome it, and we really pulled together the best we could,” Trahan said.
The team reworked the routine to accommodate for the challenges they faced, Braga said, adding that once the changes were made, the athletes were able to push through and make the new routine work.
“There would be times that we were down on ourselves, but the energy just picked it back up, and we would just remember what we were there for and be able to bring it all together,” Fernandes said.
She added now that the season is over she feels “really accomplished” and said that it’s the season she’s most proud of.
“It made us a stronger team because we were able to persevere so well, and we did the best we could with our circumstances,” Trahan said.
At the pep rally Wednesday, Trahan said she was impressed with the team’s performance.
“The fact that we were able to do what we just did today is honestly amazing with our circumstances,” she said.
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