Varsity cheer endured a tough competition on Sunday, finishing in second place at the NCA competition at the Family Arena. Falling just short, the girls fought hard to start off the season with a good reputation.

“The team as a whole performed better than we ever had before. All of our stunts hit and our dance was flawless,” Paige Seydel said.

To prepare for the competition season, the varsity cheer team started practices in November. They practiced twice every week, and the week before the NCA competition they practiced every day. On off days, the squad did extra conditioning to further prepare. The team did everything in their power to be completely ready for the big competition. They arrived at the competition extremely early in order to prepare their routine in the hallway.

“At the competition, from the moment the team walked in the doors, we could feel the pressure and the intense energy from all the teams around us,” Paige Seydel said.

Overall, the cheer team is very proud of their performance, and in the end, all of their hard work paid off as they bonded together. With the competition season just beginning, the girls will continue working to prepare for the rest of the season. Later this spring, they will return to their number one job of cheering on the Crusaders.