Larsen competes with competitive cheerleading company
The judges are watching and the spotlight is on. The team stands in front and center of many people, waiting for the music to start. The weeks of practice comes down to that very moment.
Mead freshman Miley Larsen has experienced this firsthand.
Larsen is a yell squad member at Mead and is in more than just the yell squad. She is also in Level Up cheer.
Level Up cheer is Larsen’s team, a competitive cheerleading company in Wahoo. They practice for weeks, doing complex stunts and routines, preparing for competition day. On the days of their competition, they must come up with a routine to perform in front of judges.
The judges look for five core things in competitions: tumbling, stunts, jumps, choreography and synchronization.
Larsen’s participation in competitive cheerleading helps with her performance in yell squad.
“Cheer helps for the dancing on yell squad, and you have to be loud on the mat, so that helps,” Larsen said.
Larsen first joined Level Up because of her cousins.
Larsen has competition cheer practice only once a week, on Sunday nights, so it doesn’t interfere with other activities.
“I like cheer because it’s fun and fast paced,” Larsen said.
The Level Up team participates in competitions about every few weeks on weekends, according to Larsen.
She is a former dancer as well.
“I quit because it was a lot,” Larsen said.
She would have dance practice for five hours every Tuesday night, which interfered with other after-school activities.
“I also had volleyball, basketball, track, the other cheer and plus the homework,” Larsen said.
Larsen had to quit either dance or cheer. Cheer didn’t take as much time and she enjoyed the sport, so she chose to stay in cheer.
“It was the right decision, but it was also sad.” Larsen said.
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