Seniors’ last stunts

Cheerleaders end their season with a bang

The Varsity Cheer Squad did not need to win the state competition to feel like winners.  They already hit their goal just by qualifying.

The team placed 23rd out of the entire state in the large team division.

“It was one place higher than what we came in with, so that was just icing on the cake,” fine arts teacher and head coach Kacey Valentine said.

The team said they were just pumped to make it to state, especially against such tough competition. The state performance was a highlight of the season.

“We are in the hardest division, so our goal was to just to make it to state,” senior Abigail Kloss said. “We hit a clean routine so we are proud of our performance.”

The excitement was overwhelming for some of the girls, especially when they hit the floor.

“You can’t see anything past the mat because the lights are shining so brightly in your face,” senior Arielle Fay said. “At that moment I realized that it was only me, and my girls, on the mat and we had to give it our all.”

Kloss and Fay are not planning to cheer in college, so this is their last year competing.  Both will miss it, but they are excited about the connections that they made with this year’s team.

“I will miss the girls, and I will miss stunting a lot,” Kloss said. “It’s bittersweet. I love my team, but I am excited for the future and going to college.”

A lot of preparation went into making it to state level competition. Long practices just about every day of the week helped to build connections and relationships on the time.  

“This year was the closest I feel a team has ever gotten in the four years I’ve been at Carmel,” Fay said. “I am so glad that this was my senior year so I could go out with my best friends.”

Overall, though, the team and and their coach all agreed they met their season goal and it was all for the seniors on the team.
We made our goal. We did it for them,” Valentine said. “We didn’t have to get first place, we already won.”

Kylie Hess