flips, flyers and flatbacks: Competitive cheer is BACK
Andrew Davidson, Staff Writer
North Greenville competitive cheer is making a comeback this season with their first ever appearance at the 2023 Conference Carolinas spirit championship on Saturday, March 4th.
After a successful showcase in Hayes Gymnasium on Friday, February 23, the ladies turn their eyes toward this weekend’s spirit championship which will be held at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium at Wofford College.
They will be competing in the intermediate all-girls division against UNC Pembroke and Chowan University.
Their routine is set to start at 7:30 a.m., which the team has been training for since August.
“Physically, we have been preparing since August which is when our season starts with football. A cheerleading routine is only about 2 minutes and 30 seconds, so you have that much time to do everything perfectly,” said Head Coach Mariah Surfus.
Each cheer routine must be a minimum of 2 minutes and a maximum of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It also must include a stunt sequence, dance, tumbling and pyramids, all of which must be executed perfectly in front of a panel of judges.
“The competition is scored by how difficult the routine is, as well as how perfectly each part is executed,” said Surfus.
A major component of cheerleading is trust, especially in competition.
“Picking up somebody and expecting them to catch you when you come back down builds lots of trust. With sideline cheer you will be picked up by the same people, but in competition from one second to the next you could be picked up by two different people. You have to be able to mesh with the people that are on the mat with you,” said Surfus.
The spirit championship will be the one and only competition NGU cheer will participate in this season but is far from the last. The team will look forward to more competitions in future seasons in the hopes of competing for a national title.
Fans who wish to attend on Saturday will have to purchase their tickets online prior to the event on the Conference Carolinas ticket website. Any Conference Carolinas student with a valid ID will receive free admittance.
