14 girls as 1

This is my basketball cheering squad. We had 8 freshman, 1 sophomore, 3 juniors, and 2 seniors. The people in the front row we have been cheering together since Sarra and I's 6th grade year. As of this year it was our last time cheering as our "fab four". But as Sarra and I have 1 last year we both know Tekla and Tiff are going to go out in this crazy world and do so many great things, and were so proud of them! It will be so difficult to compete without these to because there family, but we know that they will be there every competition to support us.

          Many people don't understand how hard cheering is, we have to create a routine that is almost 3 minutes long and do it as one person was doing it. All of our motions, dancing, voices, stunts, etc has to be all together or we get deductions. We have to lift a person in the air over our heads with only 3 people, doing different tricks, or even with the flyer on 1 leg, and not drop her or that's a deduction. We have to have loud voices in the cheer or that's a deduction. We have to be smiling, giving facials, and most of all look like were having fun, and if we don't through the routine with every single person doing so its a deduction. Most athletes practice 2 hours a day 5 days a week, well for cheering its allot different we practice during the week days 2-3 hours depending on the day, if we have to cheer at a basketball game we have an hour practice before the game. Also on Saturday's we practice for 4 hours, but when we have a competition coming up on Saturdays we practice for 6 hours. I hope by explaining some things about cheering will make you second guess yourself when you say cheering not a sport, because it is. To our 14 girl squad it is our life from August-February.

          This 2013-2014 cheering season was such a long road between injury's, grades, and most importantly the loss of one of our cheerleaders. But we got through it together, and we worked as a team and most importantly a family. Every performance we did it was for Taylor. Even though we may have came up short at Eastern Maine's and not being able to go by 1.7 points, we placed 7th and that was Taylor's favorite number.

           I love my teammates more than anyone would no. Every though we spent every single day together with 4-6 hour practices and got completely sick of each other. We all no that we loved each other more than words can describe.