Blue Eagle cheer squad primed for football, competition seasons
With the football and competition seasons rapidly approaching, the Clover High School cheerleaders are reaching a state of readiness to meet growing demands.
“Our kids have worked very hard in the off-season,” said assistant varsity cheerleading coach Danielle LePore prior to the beginning of “Midnight Madness” at the CHS practice field. “We’ve been practicing throughout the summer and are getting ready to attend a three-day camp at UNC-Chapel Hill.”
LePore said the 27 varsity cheerleaders and 10 junior varsity cheerleaders view Midnight Madness with much anticipation each year.
“This is a great atmosphere here tonight,” LePore said during the event. “Our cheerleaders are excited to be here and to support the football team.”
“We have been having practices, along with weight training,” she said. “We also do tumbling in Gastonia and continue to work on choreography as we prepare for the competition season in early fall.
LePore said the Region 3-AAAA competition season is a challenge for the Clover team.
“There are talented cheerleader teams in our region,” she said.
Head JV cheerleader coach Kim Taylor said the junior varsity cheerleaders train a lot with the varsity group.
“We are a small group,” Taylor said of the JV contingent. “We do get more individual time with them, but it’s hard to put together stunting and stuff like that.
“It gets real tricky with that.”
CHS senior cheerleaders Emma Lee Transou and Taylor Moreno said they are focused on what soon will become a busy slate when football season starts later this month and the competition season unfolds in September.
Both embraced Midnight Madness with commitment and enthusiasm.
“Midnight Madness is like a big practice for the football team,” said Transou, who’s been cheering since the seventh grade. “It’s fun to see what the football team will be like this year.”
“The cheerleaders come to support the team. Midnight Madness gets the players, cheerleaders and students hyped for the season,” she said.
Moreno, who has been cheering for 12 years dating back to rec youth football, said she gets caught up in the atmosphere at Clover Memorial Stadium on football Friday nights.
A typical home game at the stadium, where turf has replaced natural grass for the coming season, includes the cheerleaders drumming up school spirit while facing the student section, and the CHS dance team performing in front of the Blue Eagles band.
“It’s awesome,” Moreno said of the game-night atmosphere.
Both Moreno and Transou said they are excited about the competition season as well as Football Fridays.
“Some people don’t realize the hard work it takes to be part of the competition team,” said Transou. “It’s worth it when it all comes together.”
Moreno echoed the sentiments of her senior cheermate: “I have high confidence in the competition team,” said Moreno.
“If we put all of our effort into the competition, we will make it to the state.”
This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Blue Eagle cheer squad primed for football, competition seasons."