In Sync

In Sync In Sync

By Daysun Brown, Staff

“It is pretty easy to write off cheerleading because of the sparkly uniforms and hair bows, but cheerleading has its fair share of challenges,” senior Brooklyn Brown said. Competitive cheer is a year-round sport that involves skills that take years to master. Zionsville students cheer at two main gyms, Interactive Academy in Zionsville and ICE Allstars Gym in Westfield. Each team prepares a 2 minute and 30 second routine which includes stunts, pyramids, jumps, dance, and tumbling. The Allstars get their routine in August and work on perfecting it until their first showcase at the end of October before their competition season officially starts. They keep the same routine until May. The routines can change slightly after competition scores or after judging, but mainly stay the same for the entire season. Teams compete against other teams in their age range and skill level, known as divisions. “Preparing for competitions is a lot of work,” senior cheerleader at Interactive Academy, Megan Dawson said. “We have to work so hard at practice so we can have the outcome we want at our competition. Practices are very difficult but eventually get easier with more repetition.” The routines are repeated so many times that they become second nature. “It goes back to muscle memory,” Brown, a Division 6 ICE Allstar cheerleader, said. “Since we’re training the same routine for eight months the way we practice typically ends up the way we compete.” Teams are formed based on skill and age so most girls have grown up and advanced together. “I have met some of my best friends from being in cheer,” Dawson said. “I have known most of them since we were in elementary school which has made us really close.” Both Brown and Dawson have been cheering for over 10 years. The girls who have been cheering this long and at their level have a special bond with the teammates at their gyms and with their coaches. “I have learned a lot about working with a team,” Dawson said. “I have also learned a lot about helping someone when they are struggling.” Being on a team is the biggest theme in cheer. Working together to help their teammates is important for everyone’s success. “In a lot of sports, you have a lot more time to make changes,” Brown said. “When it is a running set of plays there is more time to fix your mistakes. Cheer is solely based on your team; you’re not directly interacting with another team.” According to Brown, in cheer, the pressure to perform well and with your team is greater than in other sports. Teammates don’t want to let the team down so it’s important for them to be the best in each competition. “Individually it’s important to stay as healthy as you can,” Brown said. Cheer is a very demanding sport that causes a lot of injuries and sometimes athletes will risk their safety for the sake of their team. “When people hurt themselves badly we have to shift around or make changes to the routine and bring in a new person,” Brown said. “I hurt my ankle right before our last competition but kept tumbling on it.” Brown was cheering at Worlds, the biggest competition of the year. Working together to keep their teammates safe is important. Breaking a finger is a common injury in cheer according to Brown, but some injuries can be more severe and could even end a cheerleader’s career. “Competitive cheer is not easy at all,” Dawson said. “There is so much work that goes into it and is a lot about working with your team.” The teams travel all over the country to take part in competitions. The ICE Allstars, have to travel as far as Atlanta, Dallas, and Louisville because they have limited competitors in Indiana. “To get where I am has been really tough. With injuries and mental blocks, it’s difficult to keep getting better,” Dawson said. “But the great coaches and teammates motivate me to keep going and have helped me to get to where I am today.”

Ice Allstars perform a stunt at their competition. photo submitted by Brooklyn Brown