The cheer team performed a showcase last Saturday for friends and family at Cheer Station Gym to preview what they have been working on for their upcoming UIL competition. This is the team’s first year participating in competitions. Before the showcase on Saturday morning, the team also had a final run-through the Friday evening before in order to perfect it before their performance in front of an audience.

Sophomore Lainey Butler said it was rewarding to be able to showcase all of the effort that the team has been putting into their routine since the beginning of school.

“It was special because we got to show our friends and family the hard work we have put in through this competition season,” Butler said.

This Friday, the team will leave school and head to Fort Worth to compete against 70 other cheer teams from various schools across the state, and hope to make it to the finals which will be held this Saturday. The team has been learning its routine since September with a guest coach and choreographer from Cheer Station Gym, a local gym in Austin. On Friday evening, before a panel of judges, the team will perform in four different parts including a band dance, a situational sideline cheer, a pre-choreographed cheer and a fight song. The performances and the judges’ scoring will determine whether or not the team will make it to finals.

Butler said the team’s main goal would be to make it to the final cut.

“The best possible outcome would be to make it to day two, which is finals,” Butler said.

We are delighted to shed a spotlight on cheer and their first competition for this week’s Tuesday Top 10.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Junior flyer Heidi Wilhelm stunts with the team during their situational cheer, one of many performed during the squad’s showcase performance this past weekend at Cheer Station, a local cheerleading gym in Austin. The team performed in order to prepare for its upcoming competition. Since the team doesn’t have a full competition floor space to practice at McCallum, it has practiced a few times on the weekend at Cheer Station to perfect its spacing.

Wilhelm and the rest of the team will have five minutes to practice different sections of the routine, a little bit of backstage time, and then competition time, so the cheerleaders were trying to replicate how the day would play out.

“This was our first time doing our routine full out with our competition hair and makeup, and wearing our full uniform with sleeves and everything,” Wilhelm said. “We used our competition poms, which might not seem like it would make that big of a difference, but all the little things change how the whole routine feels.”

Since they have been preparing for competitions, the cheerleaders have had to adjust to the new schedule of competition season, adding more practices and having to stay more focused.

“Usually everyone is used to, after football season, sometimes being able to use our extra practice time for study halls or fun stunting and stuff like that,” Wilhelm said, “but with competition, we have to stay really locked in and focused.” 

Wilhelm said however that the entire cheer team is very excited to compete but isn’t too worried about the outcome of the competition.

“We are all really excited to compete because we’ve been practicing so much for it, and it’s going to be fun to see our hard work pay off, even if we don’t do super well,” Wilhelm said. “I think it’s OK because it’s our first year competing at UIL, and it’s just a fun experience to have, and we all know that we tried our best.”

Caption by Priya Thoppil. Photo by Josie Linton.

POMS AWAY: Sophomore Annabelle Duhon practices with her peers this past Friday for the upcoming UIL competition. Although this is the first time the cheer team is competing in anything, this isn’t Duhon’s first rodeo, as she has been a competitive dancer for the past five years. The team started practicing in September and will have its first competition this Friday in Fort Worth. 

“We have just been running it over and over again and critiquing everything to make it sharper, cleaner and louder,” Duhon said. “We also go to Cheer Station on the weekends for an hour or two to practice it.”

For Duhan, the best part of her experience preparing for this competition was learning both the new stunts and dances, which are both key elements on which each team is judged. 

“Competition is put together with a band chant, one cheer dance and our fight song,” Duhon said. “They all have stunts in them, and we use signs, megaphones and flags.”

Cheer is especially meaningful to Duhan due to the new friendships it has sprouted, as well as being a lot of fun. 

“It’s a lot of work, but it is all worth it, and you’ll make fond memories,” Duhon said. “It helps build better relationships and connections with people.”

Caption by Sophia Manos. Photo by Magnolia Mass.

CHEER THE KNIGHT AWAY: Junior Julia Ross, freshman Bell Morton, and sophomore Marlowe Walsh cheer at the cheer team’s first-ever showoff at Cheer Station last Saturday. 

According to Walsh, although the team only performed for friends and family instead of judges and other schools, the showoff was an important way to prepare the team for their first-ever UIL competition in Fort Worth this Friday.

“It was so fun,” Walsh said. “We have our competition on Friday, so it was good to practice in front of an audience and really get the energy up for our performance.”

To prepare properly for their upcoming competition, the team structured the showoff to replicate a UIL cheer competition. The team first performed a band dance, which is a dance set to a specific song, followed by a situational, where the cheerleaders had to do a cheer based on whether the mock panel of judges assigned them either offense or defense, and then, they do a pre-choreographed cheer and perform the McCallum fight song. 

“It was really helpful to really do it in front of everyone and make sure everyone knew what was going on and what to expect,” Walsh said.

After performing at the showoff, Walsh said she is excited and ready to go to the competition with her team.

“I’m looking forward most to bonding with the team more because we have a bus ride together, and we stay at a hotel together,” Walsh said. “Hopefully, we do well at the competition, but even if we don’t, I still think it’s going to be a fun experience.”

Caption by Elizabeth Nation. Photo by Josie Linton.

FREE DRESS FRIDAY: Atop her stunt group, junior Stella Little practices the UIL routine in preparation for McCallum cheerleading’s first UIL competition. The competition is this Friday, making last Friday one of the last practices to strengthen the routine before the team has to cheer in front of a judging panel.

During Friday’s practice, perfecting the routine was the sole focus. Little, who is a flyer, has noticed a significant change in the quality of the stunts since they started rehearsing the routine.

“The most challenging part of the routine is the stunt difficulty,” Little said, “but we made adjustments so that they look visually appealing and everyone could do them successfully, and the adjustments really improved the execution of the stunts.”

The practice held on Friday afternoon reflected what they would perform the next morning at the showcase as well as what they would perform for the competition. The UIL routine is five minutes long and consists of four parts; a band dance, a situational sideline, a cheer and a fight song, which were practiced many times over. 

Sophomore Marlow Walsh, a part of the base for Little’s stunt group, is confident in the team’s performance and thinks the showcase reflected the effort that the team has put into the competition routine.

“I think most of us are a little nervous, but we’re definitely ready to go,” Walsh said. “I think the routine is pretty much muscle memory now, and no one has to think about what they’re doing.”

Although the stakes are high for the team, the team members still make practices fun. Free Dress has become a staple of Friday practices and something Walsh associates with a productive practice.

“It’s a lot of fun and saves time since we don’t have to change into practice uniforms and carry them around,” Walsh said. “We have been practicing this routine since football season, so it’s fun to have a more casual practice every now and then.”

Caption and photo by Magnolia Mass.

ZEIFMAN’S JOURNEY: Senior Avi Zeifman performs a stunt during the team’s showcase for family and friends. Since August, the cheer team has been practicing twice a week and perfecting its routine to prepare for the upcoming UIL competition this Friday. 

Zeifman said the process has been difficult but rewarding. 

“We are practicing at least twice a week for two hours per practice,” Zeifman said. “It has been grueling, but the results pay off the work.”

Zeifman has been dedicated to cheerleading throughout high school and said she loves the way it brings people together, fostering a sense of community and teamwork. 

“I’ve been doing cheer all of high school, and I love it for the community it provides, as well as the incentive it gives its members to be positive members of their communities,” Zeifman said.

Zeifman said her commitment and passion for cheer have shaped her high school experience, and she looks forward to the next chapter, dreaming of cheering at the collegiate level where she will continue to challenge herself and grow.

“This being my last year of cheer has made me excited to see where cheer takes me in the future,” Zeifman said. “I’m thinking about cheering in college and have been practicing constantly.”

Caption by Mira Patel. Photo by Josie Linton.

SPIRITS UP: Freshman Bell Morton performs a cheer at team practice last Friday. The team has been practicing since September and has even had a guest coach come in to help choreograph in anticipation of the upcoming UIL competition this Friday. 

Morton says she’s excited for the competition but a little nervous due to some new changes made this week.

“Some things aren’t going as planned because we have a few missing people, but I think we’ll be OK,” Morton said.

Morton said her history as a competitive gymnast has gotten her used to the pressure of competing in front of judges.

“It helps with my nervousness because I’m used to being in front of a lot of people doing tricks and things of that nature,” Morton said.

After being on McCallum cheer for a whole semester, Morton says her favorite part has been how it reminds her of gymnastics but also has its own unique twists.

“I really like how similar it is to gymnastics but how it’s also different in a way,” Morton said. “I feel like it has definitely helped me improve.”

Caption by Piper Norfolk. Photo by Magnolia Mass. 

SATURDAY’S SHOWCASE: Senior Avi Zeifman performs in the cheer showcase this past Saturday. The cheer team will perform this routine at the upcoming UIL competition this Friday with finals on Saturday. Not used to performing this routine before an audience, Zeifman said she felt nervous before the performance.

“We were all really nervous because it’s kind of the first time that we’ve shown a group of people our routine for competition,” Zeifman said. “It’s our first year competing, so obviously, we’re setting the tone for the years to come.” 

The dance at the beginning of the team’s routine is Zeifman’s favorite part because it is the moment when she and the team have the highest energy.

“I love the band chant, which is our opening dance,” Zeifman said. “It’s played by the band, and we do our little swords up moment. I love to dance with the girls, and we’re right at the beginning, so our energy is at its highest point.” 

Overall, while Zeifman wants to excel in the performance, she cares more about getting feedback and leaving this tradition for the future cheerleaders.

“I think making finals would be great, but honestly, I think right now, we’re just happy that we are going to competition, and getting something to work on no matter what our critiques are,” Zeifman said. “It’s going to be great for the cheer team just for their future, and being a senior, that’s not going to affect me in the future, but it is nice to know that we’re starting something new.”

Zeifmans advice to any upcoming freshman is to not worry about not fitting in because cheer includes everyone.

“Don’t be scared about not finding your place because cheer is one of those programs where no matter what you’re good at, you’re always gonna find your niche in it,” Zeifman said. “Cheer, unlike any other sport, needs so many different kinds of people to be in it, so if you feel hesitant to try out, just remember that there’s always going to be a place for you.”

Caption by Shila Gill. Photo by Josie Linton.

NEW YEAR NEW CHEER: The cheer team performs at its showcase for family and friends last Saturday. Sophomore Estella McCloskey said the showcase was used as a dress rehearsal for the team’s upcoming UIL competition in Fort Worth this weekend.

“It was kind of scary,” McCloskey said. “I think everyone was really nervous because that was our first time performing it, but I think it got us ready for what it’s going to be like this weekend.”

McCloskey said there is a lot of anticipation for the upcoming competition. 

“I’m feeling a little bit nervous because this is our first time doing competition, but I’m mostly excited,” McCloskey said. “During football season whenever we did pep rallies, we did a bunch of dances and pyramids, but for competitions we’re just doing a bunch of cheers and spiriting.”

McCloskey said that participating in competitions has strengthened and improved the team as a whole.

“I think that having a competition this year is really making us grow as a team,” McCloskey said. “We also hired somebody from Cheer Station to come every week to help us, so I think that’s really helped; we didn’t have her last year.”

Moving forward with the season, McCloskey said she is excited for the upcoming cheer tryouts in March and for new students to join the team. 

“I’m really excited for tryouts,” McCloskey said. “I’m excited to see everyone that’s going to make the new cheer team.”

Caption by Josie Mullan. Photo by Josie Linton.

ENERGY FLYING HIGH: Freshman Bell Morton flies in a stunt with junior Julia Ross and sophomore Lainey Butler as her bases. To prepare for their competition this weekend in Fort Worth, the cheerleaders performed for family and friends last Saturday at Cheer Station Gym. 

Overall, Butler says the team is very excited for the upcoming competition. 

“We have worked so hard and put in so many hours to show what McCallum cheer has really become,” Butler said.      

This is the team’s first time competing at a UIL competition, and for the competition, they have to perform a band dance, fight song and cheer to qualify. 

“I think the showcase really helped the team shake off some jitters,” Butler said. “We are now feeling super prepared for this Friday.”

In their category, there is going to be around 70 schools trying to make it to finals. 

“My main goal for this weekend is to make it to finals,” Butler said. “I think our team has put in enough hours doing our best that it could happen.”

Caption by Carson Duncan. Photo by Josie Linton.

EXCITEMENT IN THE AIR: The cheer team performs its routine for its upcoming UIL competition for family and friends at a showcase this past Saturday at Cheer Station, a local Austin gym. 

Since this is the team’s first time competing, sophomore Chloe Curtis said it is very exciting. 

“I’m very excited to see our team compete for the first time,” Curtis said. 

Curtis also said the showcase allowed for a simulation of what performing in front of judges would be like at the upcoming competition. 

“We’ve worked very hard with Cheer Station to get together our routine,” Curtis said. “Our show-off was the perfect opportunity to practice performing our routine in front of an audience.” 

The team will compete this Friday at UIL in Fort Worth, and if the squad makes the final cut, it will compete again on Saturday for round two. 

Caption by Josie Mullan. Photo by Josie Linton.