NPHS cheer team flies through the season
Under the bright stadium lights, while kicking, jumping and making perfect basket tosses, the varsity cheer squad aims to perfect their skills and leave the crowd feeling more hyped up than ever before. Coached by Bre Gonzales and Leila Jones, the cheer team prepares routines to perform at football and basketball games in the fall and spring.
For Amelia Watson, junior and team member of three years, cheer is a major part of her life. Prior to joining the NPHS team, she cheered for the Camarillo Cougars in middle school. Watson feels that the team at NPHS has allowed her to thrive and further develop her abilities. “I think that I have grown in dancing, stunting, cheering…everything…my jumps, my kicks,” Watson said. “I think I have improved in every single thing, and honestly, that’s because of my teammates and my coaches and my captains.”
The choice to join the cheer team was a bit more spur of the moment for junior Elliana Dorsi. “My eighth grade English teacher gave me a flyer because her daughter, Emme, was on the team and was like, ‘You should try out. You’d be so cute as a cheerleader,’” Dorsi said. Since then, Dorsi has grown in her confidence and abilities, particularly after being a team captain last year. Though she does not get to spend her Friday nights in the Panther Pit anymore, Dorsi does not mind. “It’s more fun to be on the field, like very close up and hearing all the conversations the players have,” Dorsi said.
Olivia Safier, junior, has an extensive background in all things flipping and tumbling, as she was a gymnast for ten years before joining the cheer team. After getting her start on the team last year, she has begun to notice several improvements outside of athletics. “Cheer has definitely helped with my confidence and being a more outgoing person and helped me try new things,” Safier said. Throughout her time on the team, Safier has been able to guide her younger teammates, reminding them that, “You’re not up there alone. You have your whole team around you,” Safier said.
On top of putting in hard work and improving their skills every day, the team still makes time for fun and team bonding. Working together as a unit helps the team progress with each game, facilitated by the friendships present among the team. “I have loved it. The girls on my team have become my family over the past few years,” Watson said.
