THE OTHER ATHLETIC TEAM CHEERLEADERS SAY SPIRIT PART OF TOUGH SPORT.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - High school football kicks off tonight and with it the start of the 2000 cheerleading The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. season, starring a team of athletes in their own right. No longer a line of pompom-waving, chanting girls, cheerleading has evolved into a highly competitive sport. ``A lot of people think it's just standing up and cheering, but it's a lot of work,'' said 17-year-old Megan Florio, a Hart High School Hart High School may refer to:
Schools recognize cheerleading as a sport and offer physical education credit to participants. But cheerleaders Notable cheerleaders
``Most people think that cheerleading is all rah-rah, but it's more than that,'' said Amy Varon, 16, co-captain of Canyon High's cheerleading squad. ``It's dedication, stunting and dancing. We actually practice for two hours a day.'' During the summer, cheerleaders practice for three hours a day or longer and even attend a weeklong week·long adj. Continuing through the week: a weeklong conference. Adj. 1. weeklong - lasting through a week; "her weeklong vacation" seven-day camp to strengthen themselves physically. ``We've gone to a lot of training and developed muscles for this,'' said Varon, an honor roll honor roll n. A list of names of people worthy of honor, especially: a. A list of students who have earned high grades during a specified period. b. A list of people who have served in the armed forces. student with plans to study medicine. Practice hours are extended when the big cheerleading competitions approach, the girls said. Local squads have placed well in national meets in recent years. Melisa Gallo, co-captain of Valencia High's cheer squad, joined the team to be with her friends, but now it's all about the competition. ``The competition is really intense,'' Gallo said. ``You practice and practice to perfect your routines. Nothing else is acceptable.'' Formerly a gymnast, the petite brunette has been a cheerleader for about six years, starting on the pep squad A pep squad is a group of students, typically girls, who cheer during school events. Pep squads are found in in high schools, middle schools and sometimes, elementary schools. The pep squad's main duty is to promote school spirit. for a youth football league. ``It reminds me a lot of gymnastics gymnastics, exercises for the balanced development of the body (see also aerobics), or the competitive sport derived from these exercises. Although the ancient Greeks (who invented the building called a gymnasium ,'' Gallo said. ``I enjoy the stunts. I like to be tossed in the air, fly and toss others.'' Cheerleading is demanding, she said. ``You're doing really hard things. That is really exhausting,'' Gallo said. ``At rallies you have all your peers sitting and watching you perform. It's really a lot of pressure.'' The toughest part is keeping spirits up when the team is losing, she said. ``In cheerleading you always have to keep your head up and keep smiling,'' Gallo said. ``You have to keep the spirit up whether you're losing or not.'' In the end, the effort is rewarding. ``You're basically cheering for your friends,'' Florio said. ``You turn to one side, and you have the team who is depending on you, and then you turn around to the stands, and they are looking to you to motivate them. It's kind of breathtaking.'' Kaitlin Farrell, 14, a freshman at Canyon High School Canyon High School can refer to:
``It was the closest thing I could find,'' Farrell said. ``I wanted to continue to be competitive.'' What some of the girls find is that they don't share the spotlight with the football players they cheer for. ``We're just the girls who cheer for football. We're not high up there,'' Farrell said. ``We're not the football players everybody knows.'' And that only pushes her harder. ``It just makes us work harder to strive to be noticed more,'' said Farrell, a straight-A student. ``We're not trying to take the easy way out. It's just devotion.'' WEEKEND SCHEDULE This weekend marks the start of the football season for Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. high schools and College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. . Here's the opening weekend schedule: Tonight: Canyon will play at Jurupa Valley (Riverside County) at 7 p.m. Hart at Monroe at 7 p.m. Saugus will host Royal (Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. ) at 7:30 p.m. at College of the Canyons. Valencia will host Highland (Palmdale) at 7:30 p.m. at Canyon High. Saturday: College of the Canyons will host Citrus at 7 p.m. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Canyon High cheerleaders work up spirit saluting the senior class during the first pep rally of the new school year. (2 -- color) Nicki May, 17, front, and other seniors cheer for their class. (3 -- color) Two students stand by 2001 signs at their first rally as seniors. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News Box: Weekend Schedule (see text) |
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