The new two-season sports try-outs are upon us. This week, the cheer team is hosting tryouts.  There are 27 girls trying out this season.

With the coach holding up the girls to big expectations, the girls trying out are giving it their all and it shows. Seniors Kimmy Loidolt, Emma Thompson, and Anna Thibadeau are running try-outs, teaching the girls a cheer and a dance.

“They’re doing pretty well. Some girls are catching on pretty quickly and others, it is taking them a little bit, but they’re getting there,” Thompson said.

During the two days of clinic before the actual tryouts, the girls learn stunts, jumps, a dance and a cheer. For the last day of tryouts the girls are put into groups of two or three and perform tumbling, three jumps, their dance, and their cheer in front of a panel of judges.

“I think tryouts are going to be pretty competitive because she [the coach] has to cut two people because 27 tried out, but she can only have 25. So I think it will be pretty intense because they’re all pretty much at the same level,” Thompson said.

Last year the team took 9th at State, the farthest Lewis-Palmer High School cheer team has gotten in over 10 years. This means that the upcoming season will only be harder, but also rewarding. There are about 10 returning girls and 17 new girls trying out. Even though the returning girls have been through tryouts before, they still are getting nervous about performing in front of the judges.

“I’ve been doing cheer for 3 years now and I figured I’d finish off strong. I get nervous with just presenting in general, but, I’m probably most confident about my dance. I think we’re going to have a really good team. I’m not sure who’s all going to make it, but all the girls who are trying out are very sweet and good at what they do,“ Mallory Lager, 11, said.

The cheer team lost about 10 seniors this year, which means that the girls will have to work hard to take those spots and be just as talented as them. It means teaching the new girls and hoping they pick up quickly in order to get to the level they were at this year.

“It is definitely going to be a lot of work. It is majority incoming freshman and new people. It is going to be like starting from scratch, but I think if we work really hard we’ll have a chance,” Madi Heins, 9, said.

Girls try out for a wide amount of reasons. Whether it is because they want to be a part of something or their siblings, parents, or friends encouraged them to do it or so they can start working towards a sports scholarship for college.

“I’ve been doing it for the past year now, and I’ll be doing it next year. Then my sister did it and I really like the sport,” Heins said.

Having a sports scholarship in college is a big thing. The scholarship could pay for most of the tuition. Plus, college sports are much more competitive so being on a sports team in college means the athlete is one of the best. “I’m doing it because I’m working towards a scholarship,” Macee Trottner, 9, said.

For the returning girls, tryouts seemed to be easy because they have been through it before and know what to expect. Plus, if they’ve been on the team before they’re more than likely going to be on the team again. According to returning seniors, a lot of the new girls are gymnasts which is one the things the team has set high goals for for the new season. Cheer is the first sport each year to hold tryouts for the upcoming school year, which brings in a bunch of new faces.

The cheer team now holds a competition team of 17 girls and a sideline team of 20 girls, making 20 girls in total that made the team.