On the sidelines of every football and basketball game are our perpetrators of pep – the cheerleaders. With a focus on the crowd’s enjoyment and entertainment, their chants and routines are practiced for weeks before every season.

Unlike years past, though, the cheer program has taken on a new form this year – a structural separation. With cheerleaders busy preparing to put on their game faces, a new distinction has been made to separate our sideline-cheering and performance-ready cheerleaders.

Throwing out past varsity and junior varsity teams, the modern cheer program has created sideline and competition teams. With emphasis on chants, entertainment, and crowd engagement for sideline members, cheerleaders on the competition team can focus on their routines and choreography for their involvement in the All-Girl Traditional Division competition.

Standing out from the past varsity and junior-varsity labels put on the cheer team, the two new teams allow for the integration of all cheerleaders, from freshmen to seniors.

Senior Sarah Allen has noticed these differences in cheerleader-to-cheerleader communication.

“Girls newer to the sport and more experienced girls can work together and teach each other the new skills we are learning, especially with our new stunting additions,” Allen said.

Aside from communicative changes, though, Allen, who takes part in both sideline and performance cheering, has noticed many changes in her routines and schedules.

“With a new coach, we are now a stunting team. For practices, we switch around and work together to see what positions work best,” Allen said.

Emphasizing the importance of the new separation, though, is Allen’s difficult dilemma. As a part of both performance and sideline cheer, there’s a lot to take in.

“Being a part of all of the [different routines] means that I have to learn our new routines, as well as this year’s new cheers and chants, all while practicing for the performance side of cheer,” Allen said. “[The separation] can give people a better option because the two routines are very different.”

Head Cheer Coach Connor Churchill, who implemented the stunting routines of this year’s cheerleading team, created this separation between performance and sideline cheerleading to resemble college routines and programs.

In the past, Millard North had not included stunting in its performances, and in an effort to better prepare his cheerleaders for college-level cheer, Churchill has set his sights on a new skillset.

“We have implemented a program geared more towards collegiate style cheer to develop all athletes in the program to be ready to cheer in college,” Churchill said.

While his intentions are set towards the future, Churchill has not forgotten the basics, and has high hopes what may be the start of a new cheerleading era.

“We are creating a culture built on confidence. My goal is to develop athletes to cheer at the next level,” Churchill said.

Along with the massive changes to the basis of the cheerleading program, Churchill has implemented and is developing changes in simple practice and routine work.

“The competitive program is being built on conditioning and perfection of technique,” said Churchill. “With the girls competing in a division with stunting and tumbling the type of training has changed.”

In yet another new distinction made for the sidelines, Sophomore Marissa Anderson is taking on a new role for the cheer program.

“I was a cheerleader last year, but this year I applied to be the mascot for our team,” Anderson said. “I’ll do everything our cheerleaders do, but in a costume.”

The last time Millard North’s cheerleading team had this much pep was over five years ago when our mascot duo took to the sidelines to rile up the crowds.

“Our past mascots had gone to camps to train, and I’ll either do the same or work one-on-one with a coach for my routine,” Anderson said. “They did a great job, so there’s definitely some [shoes to fill].”

Our past mascots found themselves working closely with cheerleaders, football players, and, of course, the crowds to make an incredible atmosphere for entertainment and enjoyment.

Although the timeframe is unsure for our new mascot, students can plan to see and interact with their mascot by the time our basketball season comes to life.

With plans underway for performance training, game-ready, and even costume-wearing cheerleaders to wear the colors of Millard North, the cheer team is well on its way to expanding its influence and is already pumping up the energy at Millard North’s football games.