Cheerleaders showcased their routine for the upcoming University Interscholastic League (UIL) season on Dec. 11th at Liberty High School. The Cheer Showcase included performances from high schools all across the district that were judged in preparation for the season.
“It’s run like a true competition,” varsity cheer coach Miriam Johnson-Howlett said. “They perform in front of judges, [and] there’s a space in the front center [of the gym] that parents can come up [to] the front and center area.”
There are three parts to the routine: the band chant, cheer and fight song. If the team advances to the final round, there is a situational cue, a scenario where they have to determine whether to call out an offensive or defensive cheer.
“The last thing we do in our routine is the fight song, and that’s definitely the most tiring part because you’ve already done the other sections of the routine,” cheer captain Stiles Ferguson said.
The UIL team consists of 30 girls from the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams. They have been preparing their routine since August.
“We’ve put in a lot of work and practice to make sure our routine is the best it can be,” Ferguson said. “The other captain [and I have] been in UIL every single year, so we give tips to everyone on the team so we can all be our best.”
The team receives written and verbal feedback from eight judges.
“[The judges] give a score to each team, and then we get to reflect on that and improve our scores, [before we] put it in front of the judges at UIL,” Johnson-Howlett said.
In addition to the judges, parents and community members are invited to watch the showcase.
“We encourage everyone [to come] because the more people we have there, the more the girls get excited.” Johnson-Howlett said. “[They] perform better when we have a full crowd.”
The showcase also allows cheerleaders to watch performances from other schools.
“My favorite part [of the showcase] is watching all of the other schools’ UIL routines [and] seeing everyone’s different ideas.” Ferguson said. “I love getting to show my friends and family what we’ve been working on.”
