Bridgette Gong

WC: 177

While other winter sports are just starting, the athletes in cheer show consistent diligence: the two-season sport transitions from fall regionals to winter nationals. Onto her third year of the sport, team captain senior Arianna Sweat’s interest in the sport does not falter. “I really like all the aspects of cheer because it is a mixture of everything I love like stunting and dance which is a good balance.”

In addition to the sport itself, Sweat also enjoys practices with her teammates. “We’re all really close and we’re all friends with a common goal of doing well at nationals,” she said.

Junior Athena Wang also agrees that her teammates keep her motivated as the season continues. “We work as a unit and everyone is really encouraging,” Wang said. As they approach their biggest competition of the year, nationals, the team shifts their focus on different aspects of the sport. “In the past we were more focused on dance aspects, but now we are more focused on conditioning such as running and weight lifting,” Wang said.