The West Plains cheer squad will enter the new school year with plenty of new members and lots of work to do.
Of the 15 cheerleaders on the squad, seven are freshmen, along with one sophomore who is new to cheerleading. With so much youth on the roster, West Plains head coach Rachael Larsen said the team's early success has come in large part from the newcomers' willingness to learn.
"The biggest strengths are, they're mostly freshmen, and they are willing to try anything," Larsen said. "They're willing to be very coachable, they do what we ask when we ask, and that has led to success so far already this summer."
The group's youth hasn't kept its members from making progress on skills that took considerably longer to develop last season. The team has already mastered the inversion stunt, an advanced skill in which a flyer begins nearly in a handstand on the bases before being dipped and thrown into the air and landing upright.
"Those are considered an elite skill, and it took us a while to get them last year," Larsen said. "Two stunt groups have mastered them already for the summer, so we're excited to already have that going for us." Returning cheerleaders, such as rising junior Indie Barry and sophomore Naomi Hullinger, have played an important role in helping the younger members get up to speed.
West Plains has competed in traditional cheer competitions in the past, but the squad will take a different route this season to participate in the Game Day competition in February. The Game Day State Championship, hosted by the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association, is scheduled for Feb. 20-21 at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg.
Larsen said finishing in the top five would be a significant accomplishment.
"That would be something remarkable that would top the season off," she said.
Catch the full feature on the Zizzer Cheer squad, including more photos and coach interviews, in the Quill’s free 44-page Zizzer Fall Sports Preview Magazine! Copies will be available at area businesses and home games beginning Aug. 26.
