The cheerleading season of 2020-2021 is set to start in December while complying with COVID protocols. 

These protocols involve social distancing, temperature checks, and symptom checks. It will be a different year for this year’s cheer squad, as they adjust to a new coach among the shadow of COVID-19.

Coach Wendi Press, new this year, spoke about numerous topics including COVID struggles with conditioning and team bonding as well as the weather’s effect on attire and overall practicing.

“Quarantine has delayed the fall sports season by pushing it back into the beginning of 2021,” she said. “Due to all the social distance and precautions it has prohibited us from being able to practice, condition and work on core techniques with stunting. Typically the summer seasons are spent practicing and strength training, all with developing a lot of team bonding but unfortunately quarantine halted all of that. We were able to get back to conditioning while exercising social distancing… With the season now starting in winter, the weather conditions will definitely impact our attire, as well as all the around gameplay. It will be interesting to see just how much it affects as a season begins.” 

Kiana Breeze, a sophomore, is new to the team and commented on how the coronavirus affected the beginning of the season.

“Not being able to do stunts and not having regular cheer,” she said. “We can learn cheers, but we can’t do stunts.”

Freshman Maliya Mendoza pointed out some specific guidelines that are shaping cheer practice.

“It’s affecting it hugely because, even though all sports moved to Phase Two, since in cheer there is no ball it’s going to be awhile before we can stunt,” she said. “Practice is happening though it isn’t mandatory yet. Cheerleaders can meet as a team but in groups of 10 or less, we can condition, create routines and learn cheers all while social distancing. No, the thing that is different to my knowledge is we can’t stunt now.”

Seniors Cherish Humble and Morgan Gillis, both experienced cheerleaders, commented on the difficulties and limitations that COVID has brought on cheer.

“Quarantine has made cheer practically impossible,” Humble said. “There has not been practice since March…. Which is not good for our cheer team. Practice is just now starting to happen because we got an awesome new coach to lead us through the season. Practice is still not mandatory though. We can be at practice if we have a regular temperature and don’t have any of the COVID-19 symptoms. We can not stunt or be near each other. Sadly we can’t do everything we used to at the moment because that would involve our team being close to one another and touching for stunts and routines.” 

“I’d say its definitely affecting cheer its making it really difficult so practice has been off and on because of all the craziness with COVID and stuff,” Gillis said. “We can’t tumble or stunt like we used to because of it which sucks because that’s a huge part of cheer.”