September 10, 2019 at 09:33PM
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The Belmont High School varsity cheer team has been training since July for the upcoming season which kicks off Sept. 13 with the first Marauders football game at Harris Field. Head Coach Kelly Angiolillo, who came on board as part of the BHS coaching staff in January, said she feels blessed with the girls who make up this year's team and have come together as one big family.
Angiolillo has been coaching for 23 years. Her experience includes all-star, Pop Warner and she also judges high school cheer competitions.
"I'm very consistent. I go over things and over things until we feel we are comfortable with it. I'm not one that just rushes through," said Angiolillo.
Cheerleading is one of the eight fall varsity sports offered at Belmont High School. This year's team of 23 students includes two freshmen, seven sophomores, six juniors and eight seniors.
There are two varsity teams this year, a game day varsity team which will bring on the crowd and a varsity team which will do more stunts and tumbling and participate in competitions.
The BHS varsity cheerleaders will also be competing this year in two invitationals. If they qualify, they will move on to regionals and state competitions.
"We are now a sport. I don't consider and the girls don't consider themselves anything other than athletes. They work very hard to become cheerleaders," she said.
Compared to other high school cheerleaders who may have seven or eight years of cheer experience through the Pop Warner program, Angiolillo said most of the students on her Belmont team have never cheered before high school.
"We start fresh. That's really difficult but they are doing fantastic. I'm very proud of this team," she said.
Angiolillo hopes the girls will enjoy the season and all she wants is for them to do their best and feel proud when they come off the floor..
BHS senior and varsity cheer Captain Kathryn Donovan said a lot of people don't realize how hard they work.
"They don't see the behind the scenes, the stunting, what we do to get ready for comp," said Donovan.
She considers her team a family. "I want to have a fun season but I also want to make it far. I really hope we can go to states," she said.
Fellow captain Anna Biondo agreed with Donovan.
"We're more than what you see on Friday nights. There's more to us than just pom-poms. There's a lot of hard work that goes into this and it brings us really close together as a family," she said.
Want to see Belmont news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter.
The Belmont High School varsity cheer team has been training since July for the upcoming season which kicks off Sept. 13 with the first Marauders football game at Harris Field. Head Coach Kelly Angiolillo, who came on board as part of the BHS coaching staff in January, said she feels blessed with the girls who make up this year's team and have come together as one big family.
Angiolillo has been coaching for 23 years. Her experience includes all-star, Pop Warner and she also judges high school cheer competitions.
"I'm very consistent. I go over things and over things until we feel we are comfortable with it. I'm not one that just rushes through," said Angiolillo.
Cheerleading is one of the eight fall varsity sports offered at Belmont High School. This year's team of 23 students includes two freshmen, seven sophomores, six juniors and eight seniors.
There are two varsity teams this year, a game day varsity team which will bring on the crowd and a varsity team which will do more stunts and tumbling and participate in competitions.
The BHS varsity cheerleaders will also be competing this year in two invitationals. If they qualify, they will move on to regionals and state competitions.
"We are now a sport. I don't consider and the girls don't consider themselves anything other than athletes. They work very hard to become cheerleaders," she said.
Compared to other high school cheerleaders who may have seven or eight years of cheer experience through the Pop Warner program, Angiolillo said most of the students on her Belmont team have never cheered before high school.
"We start fresh. That's really difficult but they are doing fantastic. I'm very proud of this team," she said.
Angiolillo hopes the girls will enjoy the season and all she wants is for them to do their best and feel proud when they come off the floor..
BHS senior and varsity cheer Captain Kathryn Donovan said a lot of people don't realize how hard they work.
"They don't see the behind the scenes, the stunting, what we do to get ready for comp," said Donovan.
She considers her team a family. "I want to have a fun season but I also want to make it far. I really hope we can go to states," she said.
Fellow captain Anna Biondo agreed with Donovan.
"We're more than what you see on Friday nights. There's more to us than just pom-poms. There's a lot of hard work that goes into this and it brings us really close together as a family," she said.