Sideline Cheer visited a cheer camp at Hyatt Palm Springs from June 22-24 to practice routines and cheers for the upcoming school year.
Over the three-day cheer camp, cheerleaders learned routines. Since they have a different cheer for offense and defense during a football game, the girls also learned to identify what an offensive and defensive position looked like. These improved their teamwork.
“I think it definitely helped me improve and it helped build a better team,” captain senior Jazlene Amezcua said. “I feel like it also helped me achieve [cheer] captain because the coaches saw that I was very involved and helpful towards [Junior Varsity] who came with us.”
Besides improving their cheer skills, the camp helped participants feel more prepared for the school year which will carry into performances and pep rallies.
“I feel like I became a little more extra and outgoing. It gave me confidence which is pretty important as a cheerleader,” freshman Giselle Huang said. “Spending time with the team made us closer and it made me more comfortable around them.”
For many participants, the camp wasn’t just an opportunity to improve their cheerleading skills. It also allowed them to bond with teammates, gain confidence in stunting and develop experience that will benefit them throughout the school year, both in performances and team dynamics.
“Now that we know the routines better, we can perform it at different pep rallies, and we can also teach the kids who didn’t go to the camp,” freshman Sydney Liptak said. “I really liked it because I think it definitely helped me get into cheer. It’s my first year, and the camp improved my stunting.” Ω
