LHS Cheerleaders Win States Third Year in a Row

At Lewiston High School cheerleading is much more than a group of girls screaming "U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no albeit." It is hours of hard work. Sometimes this could be as little as 3 hours to as long as 7 hours.

Coach Jen Roy detailed a day in the life of an LHS Cheerleader. It begins with the girls going through their day of school from 7:45 AM to 2 PM. The girls then carpool together to the National Guard building to begin practice at 2:45 PM. Practice then goes from 2:45 to 4:30, but their day is not over. From 4:30 to 5 the girls do conditioning. This includes calisthenics, running, stunt work, and other activities to help their bodies become stronger. As Coach Roy said, "If you don't spend that time, you won't be able to do the more advanced stunting and tumbling. Sometimes this ends their day, but if it is a night with a sports event like a basketball game, their day is only half over. The girls cheer at these games and sometimes they go as late as 9 PM.

This is all practice for when the girls compete against other schools. Their long hours and dedication certainly pays off because on February 11, 2013 the LHS cheerleaders won the Maine State Cheering Competition for the third year in a row. The team was the best amongst 12 teams in the Class A competition. They won with a score of 167.7. This was also the best amongst the 4 teams that won in Class A, B, C, and D.

Senior cheerleader Torey Reny has been cheering for 13 years and has been an LHS cheerleader for all four of her high school years. She feels that the best part of cheering is how exciting it can be. She said that when they first won states years ago she felt accomplished and was very happy that “we accomplished this goal as a team.” Three years later, she still loves the excitement she gets from cheering, and is still very proud of her team. This year she stated that again she was really proud of her team and all they had accomplished.

Fellow senior Kirsty Beauchesne echoed Reny’s words. She felt very excited for her team for winning. She has been a cheerleader for the last 12 years and has been an LHS cheerleader for the last four years.

When asked about how their coaches have helped them get to this point, both girls said that their coaches push them hard, but they understand why they do so. They understand that their coaches really want them to be their best so they push them hard. Reny also stated, “We have amazing coaches. They have been a huge part of my life for the last four years.” Beauchesne said that they could not have accomplished all that they had without their help.

The next stage in the competition is the New England Competition. This will be on March 15, 2013.

*Photos Courtesy of Donna Barnies