New Trier cheers their way through victories
The Cheer Team has been securing CSL and sectional titles for the past two years
New Trier Cheer Team Instagram
The Cheer team has been making New Trier history since last year, with last year being the first time ever making it to State and securing a title in 3rd place.
The Cheer team has been making New Trier history for the last two years, with last year being the first time ever making it to State and securing a title in 3rd place. This year the team has been following its successes by placing 11th in state and 3rd at sectionals.
According to varsity cheerleader Willa Sheridan, the team has a strong culture and works well together.
“Our coach has created this really great culture of a positive mindset,” said Sheridan.
This inclusivity adds to the culture and has helped to create team chemistry.
“You get a good bond with people and then it goes out to the mat,” said Varsity cheerleader Mckenna Serviss-O’Brien
Head coach Kelsey O’Kane has the team recite affirmations at the start of practice every day. These affirmations are words used to instill and maintain a positive mindset and build up each one’s confidence.
“Ask any one person on the team and they’ll rattle them off without hesitation – the most important one being ‘I am grateful for the opportunity,’” said O’Kane.
According to members of the team, the coaches have created a growth mindset environment which has motivated the team to their best ever performance at sectionals. They demonstrate the culture they want the team to have during competitions, practices and anywhere else.
“[Our job is to] to develop talent and to develop young minds of the cheerleaders,” said O’Kane.
The season is longer than most sports since it starts in summer and is an almost year long commitment.
“We begin in the summer and don’t let up until March. It sounds cliche but it’s true, we’re a family. We go through all of it together,” said O’Kane.
Cheer, like most athletic teams this year, has struggled with COVID complications. There were cheerleaders on both JV and Varsity who tested positive during the season. The team believes they pulled through because of the family-like bond the players have with each other.
“It was a challenge no doubt but we learned so much through the process. We are stronger now because of it,” said O’Kane.
The team already has a protocol for when someone is sick or injured and an alteration needs to be made. Having these routines helped them get through the pandemic.
The cheerleaders had to learn different parts of routines on short notice because people were unable to practice because of positive COVID results. This was especially different because the sport requires a diverse skill set, from tumbling to lifting people.
“I had to switch up my routine each week to [compete] for them,” Said Serviss-O’Brien.
The team believes that part of their success this year has come from becoming co-ed in 2020. Previously they were an all girls team.
“When I was on the team freshman year, it wasn’t co-ed. It was very different. I think we didn’t have a lot of success,” said Sheridan.
“We were placed within the top 25 co-ed teams in the state,” said O’Kane