The Greenwave cheer team took first place in its division at last month’s high school competition. The team includes coaches Darlene Robinson, Adriana Lopez, Monica Avery and Joy Bergreen, and cheerleaders Keyonna Morris, Hailey Gupdnaporne, Adriana Lopez, Haven Coe, Shania Lee, Lelah Noel, Madison Shepherd, Josephine Rofeld, Rylee Schroeder, Renee Fahrion, Joshua Enriquez, Jailla Hibbard, Nadina Hiibel, Oaklee McKnight, Rebekah Bonds and Genna Ernst.
Photo by Thomas Ranson.
The Greenwave cheer team won its division in last month’s competition at Damonte Ranch High School.
Competing in the varsity coed division, Fallon took home the trophy over North Valleys and Sparks. The team included a combination of JV and varsity cheerleaders who practiced two to three times a week for up to three hours from mid-November until early February. In between practices, the team cheered on the Greenwave basketball teams, both at home and on the road.
“One of the main themes I tried to drive into the mindset of the team is how to recover if we made a mistake,” Fallon coach Darlene Robinson said. “No matter how much we practice, we aren’t perfect and a mistake may happen. We need to know the routine so well that we use muscle memory to recover from any mistakes. That way, no matter how we feel when jitters flood, we move on the wrong count or we lose a stunt. We figure out how to recover and jump back into the routine. We need to give 100 percent and commit to not giving up.”
Although Robinson said the team made a couple of mistakes during the routine, it wasn’t enough to prevent Fallon from hoisting the competition trophy.
The team includes coaches Adriana Lopez, Monica Avery and Joy Bergreen, and cheerleaders Keyonna Morris, Hailey Gupdnaporne, Adriana Lopez, Haven Coe, Shania Lee, Lelah Noel, Madison Shepherd, Josephine Rofeld, Rylee Schroeder, Renee Fahrion, Joshua Enriquez, Jailla Hibbard, Nadina Hiibel, Oaklee McKnight, Rebekah Bonds and Genna Ernst.
“After we were done, there was an overwhelming amount of emotions, feeling like they had ruined their chance of winning in their category,” Robinson said. “I told them multiple times as we waited for the results that I was more proud about how they recovered. No one gave up. No one gave into their emotions during the performance. As a coach, that’s all I can ask for. Them winning first place was proof to them that even with making a mistake, it doesn’t take perfection to be first place.”
Going forward, Robinson said the plan is to compete in multiple events, including the JAMZ national competition next school year.
“As their coach, I am so proud,” said Robinson, who was thankful for her teacher and parent volunteers for their commitment. “I know that we can always practice more to get better and we will as we prepare for next year, but the feeling of knowing my team put out a routine that awarded them a first-place trophy is epic. They have worked hard as a team since last summer and this first-place trophy is the best reward for their hard work.”