On January 29, the WLHS cheer team made history for the first time ever, as the varsity team qualified for and performed at regionals. 

Each season, HCPSS allows the cheerleading team to participate in up to 3 invitational competitions. Ms. Townsend, the head varsity coach, says “Invitationals are a necessity if we are going to grow our program and become better competitors. They’re a great opportunity to perform a routine before getting to the county championship and receiving useful feedback from the judges.” 

After the invitationals, the girls compete at the county championships which determine who will qualify to move on in the state level competition, this is where the girls advanced to regionals. “I think this year the team was well prepared  and performing stunts with a higher difficulty level than ever before. All of the girls in the fall season were also on the mat for the winter season which gave us a huge advantage in terms of chemistry, ” says Coach Townsend. 

Before this they were placed in the top three at their second invitational competition at Pikesville High School. They also won the “Best Dance” award at their first invitational at Glenelg High School.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Rob Trainer

The girls are pictured performing a pyramid.

On February 6th, the girls didn’t advance at their regional competition, putting an end to their cheer season. Zarah Reeves, one of the captains of the team says “next year the girls just need to come back harder, especially with tumbling. But as a team, we definitely have improved, the chemistry is better, and skill level is at an all time high.”

Senior co-captain Dani Fully reflects on the family dynamic the team has that is one of the main contributions to how far they’ve come. “It’s a great feeling not just being captain but just being a part of our team; it’s really cool to see people go from strangers to close friends and how people who you never thought you’d be close to turn into your little sisters.”

Fully also takes the time to reflect on her leadership role as captain. “I feel as captain my coach expected me to help communicate with our team; with her being an adult sometimes people don’t like to hear them out as well as you would your peers and just to help maintain everything, make sure it runs smoothly and do it in a respectable manner; Also if there was an issue she would be able to trust me and to take over the situation responsibly.”

As of right now, the girls are still continuing to cheer for the basketball season. While many are upset when it comes to not advancing, others are taking the opportunity to improve. “I think our sport is definitely overlooked and no one realizes how much commitment we put into this. I want the girls to know that they should always keep their heads up high and never lose hope,” says Reeves. 

Fully concludes with a final message to her team. “If I have to think back on it, I’m not upset we’re not moving on to regionals, seeing where this team was 4-5 years ago and how much we’ve grown since then is really impressive; to even make it to regionals was exciting enough… I’m really excited to see what the girls will bring to the table next year. I can definitely see them making another appearance at regionals next year.”