February 21, 2019 at 09:01AM
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - The Gov. Livingston Highlander Cheerleaders placed fourth in their first appearance at the NJCDCA State Cheerleading Competition in the Intermdiate Varsity Division at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton on Saturday.
Leading upto the competition, Head Cheerleading Coach Emily Stecher and Assistant Coach Alecia Collins seeked out NJCDCA certified competitions to make adjustments to their routine from feedback of the judge panel to put them in better standings to place at states.
"We registered for six competitions in the 'Varsity Intermediate' division -- five leading up to states," said Stecher. This is in addition to their busy schedule of cheerleading at the home boys varsity basketball games.
The Highlander Cheer team received three first place finishes and two second place finishes. Their fourth place states finish with an overall score of 63.2 points was behind St. John Vianney (73.8), Paramus Catholic (73.2) and New Milford (64.28).
"The process was no easy feat but it was beyond rewarding," said Stecher.
While there are the obvious ways to prepare for any contest [practice, conditioning, studying plays or routines], "What Coach Alecia and I realized truly helped this team to become as cohesive as it is, are team talks," said Stecher. "Any team can be comprised of talented individuals, but it is when those individuals discover how their talents co-mingle and bring out each other's strongest qualities that the group can be genuinely successful."
The squad initiates these talks at the end of each practice as a time where they can discuss and resolve any discrepancies with choreography counts, cheers, or stunts. "We also take time to open a reflective dialogue, presenting questions that encourage each athlete to self assess. They do not have to share their responses but we ask that they write their thoughts out to themselves. We knew this task was beneficial when the girls began sharing their answers unprompted during one of our last talks."
"Witnessing their progression both as individuals and as part of the team was a humbling experience for Coach Alecia and myself. We saw observable improvements in their performance quality and technique every single competition. We could not have asked for a more successful season to kick off this new era of Highlander Cheerleading," said Stecher.
BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - The Gov. Livingston Highlander Cheerleaders placed fourth in their first appearance at the NJCDCA State Cheerleading Competition in the Intermdiate Varsity Division at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton on Saturday.
Leading upto the competition, Head Cheerleading Coach Emily Stecher and Assistant Coach Alecia Collins seeked out NJCDCA certified competitions to make adjustments to their routine from feedback of the judge panel to put them in better standings to place at states.
"We registered for six competitions in the 'Varsity Intermediate' division -- five leading up to states," said Stecher. This is in addition to their busy schedule of cheerleading at the home boys varsity basketball games.
The Highlander Cheer team received three first place finishes and two second place finishes. Their fourth place states finish with an overall score of 63.2 points was behind St. John Vianney (73.8), Paramus Catholic (73.2) and New Milford (64.28).
"The process was no easy feat but it was beyond rewarding," said Stecher.
While there are the obvious ways to prepare for any contest [practice, conditioning, studying plays or routines], "What Coach Alecia and I realized truly helped this team to become as cohesive as it is, are team talks," said Stecher. "Any team can be comprised of talented individuals, but it is when those individuals discover how their talents co-mingle and bring out each other's strongest qualities that the group can be genuinely successful."
The squad initiates these talks at the end of each practice as a time where they can discuss and resolve any discrepancies with choreography counts, cheers, or stunts. "We also take time to open a reflective dialogue, presenting questions that encourage each athlete to self assess. They do not have to share their responses but we ask that they write their thoughts out to themselves. We knew this task was beneficial when the girls began sharing their answers unprompted during one of our last talks."
"Witnessing their progression both as individuals and as part of the team was a humbling experience for Coach Alecia and myself. We saw observable improvements in their performance quality and technique every single competition. We could not have asked for a more successful season to kick off this new era of Highlander Cheerleading," said Stecher.
Related Posts
South Effingham cheerleaders tops in Class AAAAA division - Effingham Herald- Guy cheerleaders back on sidelines for Huskers - 1011now
- Cheerleaders and HiSteppers perform with the Lil Bullpup Clinic - The High Life
- Correction: Belles Look Like Belles, Not Cheerleaders - Park Cities People
- Kirsten Dunst reveals she would love to be cheerleader again after Bring It On became a hit in 2000 - Daily Mail