Written By: Rylee Sturgis, Staff Writer
PRIDE: Poly Pep Squad is bringing in the spirit!
Here at Poly, we have a fantastic pep squad. Under the guidance of Lindy Schive, Karington Sebastion, and Emmalea Ma, our Cheer, Song and Dance, and Stunt teams have won several of their competitions. Throughout the school year, the pep squad goes to numerous football and basketball games to rally Poly pride before going to their competitions.
With a passion for dancing and cheering, many of the members find themselves seeking a place on one of Poly’s teams to continue growing their skills. Many have prior experience with dancing before joining Poly’s teams; through Gage Middle School’s dance team, many find their love for being on such teams. Jasmine Perez (11), a member of the cheer team stated that “[cheer] was something [she] wanted to do since middle school.” The work of the teams is extensive and takes hours to refine with both teams consistently working on their stunts and routines. With roughly 50 cheers to memorize for football, there is not a moment to be wasted. Beyond cheering for other teams, the members find themselves auditioning for specific groups, including the stunt groups who won first place last season, and dance competition groups. Each special group is carefully selected by the dance team – putting in hours to learn new dances, before being graded on their technique, performance, and choreography. Twila Fraser-Hewlett (12) a member of the song team mentions that “these routines are taken to several competitions against top-notch teams throughout the inland empire.” As cheer transitions into stunt season, new skills are learned by carefully selected groups, with this past season’s stunt moving up a division after winning their league.
Coriana Anacker (11), a member of the cheer and stunt teams stated that her favorite part of being a part of the Pep Squad would be “being able to cheer every Friday and perform.” Fraser-Hewlett also brings up the strong friendships and bonds that have been created, and the laughs they have all had contributing to their skills and community. Throughout Covid, the teams continued to work together dancing outside in unconventional spaces to avoid the spread of the virus while also maintaining their high-performance quality. The Pep Squad greatly appreciates the work and time given by its coaches to create the best possible community. So come on out, show some spirit, and cheer on our Pep Squad!