The Montezuma-Cortez spirit squads made their first appearance of the school year during the junior varsity football game on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
Under second-year coaches Emily Martin and assistant April Beardsley, the cheerleaders got the crowd on their feet throughout the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission is to put people in the stands and bring spirit,\u201d said Martin. \u201cNot only to the school, but to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martin and Beardsley also have their eyes on competitions the team will be attending this year. The team had choreograph camp early this season to work on a routine for competitions, and they hope to team up with ATC Gymnastics to learn more tumbling and gymnastics.<\/p>\n
Ideally, the Panthers would like to place in the top 15 at state, but competing at the 4A level, they know it will be a challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the schools we compete against have cheer and gymnastics as P.E. classes,\u201d said Beardsley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have the same resources,\u201d Martin explained. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the same funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the Panthers do have better numbers this year, with over 25 girls trying out for the team. The M-CHS squad consists of 18 cheerleaders, including 14 returners and 8 seniors.<\/p>\n
And captains Ashley Moore, Tydall Davis and Ronee Dennison will look to lead the team as they bring spirit and compete.<\/p>\n
The M-CHS dance team also made their season-debut on Monday, performing a routine at halftime.<\/p>\n
Head coach Teaa Warinner says that they too, have grown.<\/p>\n
With 14 team members last year and graduating only three, the dance team returns seniors Weslie Kirks, Alejandra McCulley, Emma Cuckie, Kayden Howell, Tashena Martinez, as well as a handful of newcomers.<\/p>\n
The team will perform at JV football games, basketball games and pep assemblies, as well as multiple competitions.<\/p>\n
After finishing 7th at the state competition last year, Warinner will have the team start working on their hip-hop routine in September in preparation for the state competition in Denver in December.<\/p>\n
Warinner hopes to get younger dancers experience throughout the season, but she also has high hopes for the state competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really want to be in the top third at competition,\u201d she said. \u201cThat would be fantastic. Of course, taking first would be great, but I want them to know that just being in the top third is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cheerleading squad and dance team will be back in action during halftime of the football game against Miyamura on September 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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