WGHS Competition Cheer Hurdles Into ‘23-’24 Season.

Walnut Grove Competition Cheer walks away victorious after getting a bright start to their ‘23-’24 season, after placing second at the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday, September 9th. 
by Brooklyn Hayes and Ane'J Beers

Walnut Grove Competition Cheer walks away victorious after getting a bright start to their ‘23-’24 season, placing second at the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday, September 9th. The cheer team is ecstatic over this placement, as they feel this is the encouragement they needed to make it to state and hopefully hit. 

Although the cheer team has been working hard at practice, a few complications have been 
dragging down their usual coordination. “The practices have been kinda rough because we’ve had a lot of people out due to injuries. Everyone is back now and we’re ready to work and do our best,” Maggie Ezzell (11) informs. Ava Beuchel (11) adds, “They’ve been really exciting, but they have been a little rough due to the injuries. That isn’t gonna stop us though because we’re all gonna push through it and have an amazing season.”

With the cheerleaders having this exciting season ahead of them, they’ve had to find ways to balance their academic and athletic lives. “I make sure I'm always prioritizing my time and making the best of any time I have. I never waste a moment, when there is an opportunity to do my school work I always do.” Ava Beuchel is currently first in her class and is a great example of a student athlete. That being said, she has several AP classes, Dual Enrollment, and is on both sideline cheer and competition. “It’s really a struggle for me trying to balance them both, as well as trying to balance my academic and social life, but I really just try to equally prioritize everything because school is really important to me and so is cheer, so I always just do the best in everything I do. But honestly, I would never prioritize my sport over my academics.” 

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This is just one of the many cheerleaders who has to find a way to balance their different levels of cheer. “It's kind of easy because the practices and games are on different days, so they don’t clash. Plus the coaches worked it all out so the cheerleaders don’t have to deal with it,” says Mallory Densmore (11). 

​Maggie Ezzell (11) states, “I try to prioritize and make sure I save time after practice to do my work. Especially when I know I have other things going on, I make sure my homework is done first."

These cheerleaders brighten us with how they manage to juggle sideline cheer, competition cheer, and their excellent grades, and all of them have hopeful expectations for the upcoming season, and expect to succeed and hopefully make school history. “I feel really good about this season, and I feel really good going into it because everyone works together really well, we are all bonding, we have really good teamwork, overall I'm just really excited!” Mallory Densmore (11) exclaims.

That being said, make sure to come out to The Battle At The Grove this Saturday, September 16th, because sometimes cheerleaders need their very own cheerleaders.

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