Competition Cheer Joins Sideline as Alternate to Season

From weekly COVID-19 tests to playing with masks on, sports during the pandemic look much different than years prior. For competition cheer, on the other hand, it means having no season at all.

According to competition and sideline cheer coach Selin Wold, “[Competition cheer’s] 2 seasons basically got erased.”

“They were being held back from being able to go to Regionals, and with COVID they weren’t allowed to go to Nationals either,” said Wold.

The cheerleaders, however, have found a way to continue their training by cheering during football games. The team cheers alongside the sideline team where they are responsible for performing stunts. The team also performs their competition routine during half-time after the sideline team’s routine.

“Since they didn’t get to compete at any competitions this year, we wanted them to be able to cheer with us and perform,” said co-captain of the sideline cheer team junior Selina Lee.

Co-captain of the competition cheer team junior Juliet Diamantidis finds cheering on the sideline “exciting.”

“The comp[etition team] girls already knew how to perform, but learning cheers was something different so we took 2 weeks to learn everything, which was fun,” Diamantidis said.

Lee added, “It’s nice, it’s definitely different because last year we had only 6 people on our team, so it’s different having 12 people, for one and then doubling that to 24 [with competition cheer there].”

Both teams will be performing together at the final football game against Miramonte on April 16.