Gardner High cheerleaders celebrate another successful season - The Gardner News

March 20, 2019 at 09:27AM

GARDNER — The football and basketball games have ended, and so have the area competitions, but the Gardner High cheerleading team gathered for one last practice — and a pizza party — Monday night to celebrate another successful season.

The 2018-19 Mid-Wach C League cheerleading champions, in both the football and basketball seasons, met at City Hall's Perry Auditorium, their home for practices, for their final dancing and cheering routines, standing and running tumbles, partner stunts and pyramid sequences.

"The girls have great respect for one another and they've formed nice relationships," said Gardner head coach Jill Markley, who completed her eighth year. She was assisted this year by first-year coach Sherein Khater.

"Sadly we're losing three seniors to graduation," said Markley. "Savanna Boise and our two captains, Julia Powers and Hannah Pleskowicz."

Markley said this year's squad won over 80 percent of the invitational competitions they participated in. In addition to winning the two Mid-Wach C League titles, the team advanced to the Central/Western Mass. Regionals, placing second in both seasons.

At the state high school cheerleading meet, the Wildcats placed fifth overall out of the 12 qualifying teams, the best in the state.

"Freshman year was my first season," said the 17-year-old Powers, admitting that the realization of the team's final practice brought a few tears. Thinking back on her four-year cheerleading career, Powers said that the most memorable season was during her sophomore year when the Wildcats won the state championship and a national event in South Carolina.

"We worked hard, with not a lot of people knowing that, and we won a lot of titles," said Powers, wearing a Gardner cheerleading practice shirt lettered on the back with the team motto: "Work Hard in Silence. Let Your Success Be the Noise." She said that she would like to study fashion design in college.

Added Pleskowicz, who also began cheering as a freshman and will study exercise science in college, 'I'm really happy with what we have done in the past four years. And Coach Markley is the best."

"Competitions are hard but it's worth it because of the team. We're all friends," said Boise, who began cheering in junior high, took her junior season off, and happily returned to the squad for her senior year.

Even with three talented seniors leaving, the Wildcats and Markley are encouraged by the talented younger cheerleaders who will, no doubt, continue the winning Gardner High tradition, especially eighth-grader Sophia Martins, perhaps the most enthusiastic and spirited member of the team.

"Sophia is fearless," praised Markley, and when Martins, who began cheerleading and gymnastics at age 5, heard that comment, she added, "Well, I guess I'm a little hyper. But I just loved bonding and competing with the team this year. I love basketball season because it's warm inside."

Tryouts for the 2019-20 GHS cheerleading team will get underway in a few months, right after Memorial Day. Then it's off to a cheerleading camp in the summer and community service projects before the official season begins with the upcoming fall football season.

But on Monday night it was time to say goodbye to the seniors and, before the team members who will be back next year enjoyed some bites of pizza and left for home and homework, they offered a short, emphatic description of their experiences this season: "Strong," said sophomore Hanna Carlson; "Teamwork," said freshman Madyson Boutwell; "Hard work," said sophomore Julie Richard, "Effort," said Martins; "Determination," said junior Elizabeth Magoon, and, perhaps saving the best for last, sophomore Emma Caruso, cheered her selected word, its sound echoing loud and true around the walls of Perry Auditorium: "Family."

GARDNER — The football and basketball games have ended, and so have the area competitions, but the Gardner High cheerleading team gathered for one last practice — and a pizza party — Monday night to celebrate another successful season.

The 2018-19 Mid-Wach C League cheerleading champions, in both the football and basketball seasons, met at City Hall's Perry Auditorium, their home for practices, for their final dancing and cheering routines, standing and running tumbles, partner stunts and pyramid sequences.

"The girls have great respect for one another and they've formed nice relationships," said Gardner head coach Jill Markley, who completed her eighth year. She was assisted this year by first-year coach Sherein Khater.

"Sadly we're losing three seniors to graduation," said Markley. "Savanna Boise and our two captains, Julia Powers and Hannah Pleskowicz."

Markley said this year's squad won over 80 percent of the invitational competitions they participated in. In addition to winning the two Mid-Wach C League titles, the team advanced to the Central/Western Mass. Regionals, placing second in both seasons.

At the state high school cheerleading meet, the Wildcats placed fifth overall out of the 12 qualifying teams, the best in the state.

"Freshman year was my first season," said the 17-year-old Powers, admitting that the realization of the team's final practice brought a few tears. Thinking back on her four-year cheerleading career, Powers said that the most memorable season was during her sophomore year when the Wildcats won the state championship and a national event in South Carolina.

"We worked hard, with not a lot of people knowing that, and we won a lot of titles," said Powers, wearing a Gardner cheerleading practice shirt lettered on the back with the team motto: "Work Hard in Silence. Let Your Success Be the Noise." She said that she would like to study fashion design in college.

Added Pleskowicz, who also began cheering as a freshman and will study exercise science in college, 'I'm really happy with what we have done in the past four years. And Coach Markley is the best."

"Competitions are hard but it's worth it because of the team. We're all friends," said Boise, who began cheering in junior high, took her junior season off, and happily returned to the squad for her senior year.

Even with three talented seniors leaving, the Wildcats and Markley are encouraged by the talented younger cheerleaders who will, no doubt, continue the winning Gardner High tradition, especially eighth-grader Sophia Martins, perhaps the most enthusiastic and spirited member of the team.

"Sophia is fearless," praised Markley, and when Martins, who began cheerleading and gymnastics at age 5, heard that comment, she added, "Well, I guess I'm a little hyper. But I just loved bonding and competing with the team this year. I love basketball season because it's warm inside."

Tryouts for the 2019-20 GHS cheerleading team will get underway in a few months, right after Memorial Day. Then it's off to a cheerleading camp in the summer and community service projects before the official season begins with the upcoming fall football season.

But on Monday night it was time to say goodbye to the seniors and, before the team members who will be back next year enjoyed some bites of pizza and left for home and homework, they offered a short, emphatic description of their experiences this season: "Strong," said sophomore Hanna Carlson; "Teamwork," said freshman Madyson Boutwell; "Hard work," said sophomore Julie Richard, "Effort," said Martins; "Determination," said junior Elizabeth Magoon, and, perhaps saving the best for last, sophomore Emma Caruso, cheered her selected word, its sound echoing loud and true around the walls of Perry Auditorium: "Family."

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