Page 198 - 1996.Milard.North

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Competir
Nationals
by Trisha Coan an excr
emotional,
After all the time learned this year that prac- have fun and do our best, exhau:
and work the Blue and Sil- tice really does make per- win or lose," Kesinger said. After a time for
ver Varsity Cheerleaders fect. They practiced three "I had a lot of fun at touchdown at a cheerlear
varsity football
have put into this year, they or four days a week during Nationals. It was cool be- game, junior Juniors
Armiger
were rewarded with a Na- the summer. Once school cause of the entire atmo- Andrea Knittel Betsy lwa
brings out the
tional Championship. started, they practiced every sphere. We got to meet crowd's spirit. relax afte
For many day. "Wehadtobeatschool people from all over, and Cheerleaders hype
of them, by 6:15 every morning, everyone was really pumped were essential excite me
act
in keeping the
winn1
"I had a lot of fun at preparation ready to practice," junior up and focused on crowd going. champion
nat
photo by
cheerleading," junior An-
began long Betsy lwansky said.
Nationals. It was cool before the Participating in drea Knittel said. Corrine Shoup
school year competitions such as Metros But their work
because af the entire even started. also prepared the cheerlead- didn' t stop after Nationals.
They began ers for national competition. The pressure and nervous-
atmosphere. We got to practicing in At Metros, the squad ended ness didn't stop, either.
April and at- up with a first place finish in When they returned from
meet people from all over, tended a their division and the all- Nationals in Nashville, TN,
four-day around high of all divisions. they still had to prepare for
and everyone was really summer "Metros helped us to pre- State competitions. "I think
camp at pare for Nationals and gave we felt more pressure at State
pumped up and focused on UNL. The us more confidence going than at Nationals because we
camp was into it," senior Jill Kesinger had to live up to the perfor-
cheerleading." sponsored said. mance we gave at Nationals
by the Inter- According to the and prove that we could do it
national Cheerleading As- cheerleaders, there were a and that we deserved it," se-
sociation. "Atcamp, we won lot of factors that helped nior Kellie Cooper said.
first in dance, the top team them to do well this season. The cheerleaders
award, and we also got our One of these factors was that ended up with a first place
bid to Nationals," junior they had fun with it. "At finish at State and, accord-
Rachel Emerton said. Nationals we had a great ing to them, a very exciting
-
Ch e e r I e a d e r s time. We just wanted to year .•

Senior Julianne
McHale and
junior Chris
Albers try to
rev up the
crowd at a
basketball
game against
Millard West.
Their ability to
get the crowd
and the team
going often
helped lead the
Mustangs to
victory, as it did
in this case.
photo by
Stephanie
Rowe
- Seniors Gretchen Ballard, Kellie Cooper, juniors Kelly
Cavalieri, Lori Armiger, Andrea Knittel, and senior Jill Kesinger pertorm a
routine at a varsity game. photo by Jen Nervig

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