Varsity cheer placed fourth in the Maryland State Cheerleading Competition for the first time in six years on Nov. 9.
The team is led by senior captain Tali Rosen and junior captains Emily Johnson and Jenny Brailovsky and new coach Samaris Sirano-Rodriguez. “I am so grateful to be part of the team that made it to states and that Wootton is getting recognized for our hard work,” Rosen said.
The team is made up of freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors all with diverse backgrounds in cheer who came together as a team. “Personally, this win means a lot to me because despite not having been on the team for a long time, I understand that even making it to states in the first place is a huge achievement that Wootton Cheer hasn’t made in the last six years. I’m so proud of my teammates and the progression we’ve made,” senior Lindsey Zuniga said.
Despite the varying levels of prior experience, the team was able to utilize their talents and succeed in both the regional and state competitions. “I think it was all the new people on the team, getting new skills and knowledge really helped us to thrive. I think that having people with all different backgrounds of cheer and level of experience made us unique and that not everyone was good at the same thing,” Rosen said.
While the development of new skills helped the team set themselves apart, the road to success demanded hard work and dedication. “Our biggest challenge as a team was that every single person learned new skills this year. Whether it was learning a new tumbling skill or a difficult stunt routine, everyone put their all into practice and fought through physical injuries and mental blocks so that we could perform,” Zuniga said.
Another unique dynamic is brought to the team by Sirano-Rodriguez as a first year coach for the team. “This was her first year, however, I believe that she is the reason we were able to make it to states and get fourth [place],” Rosen said.
Having such a large team making fitting practices into members’ commitments proved to be both a challenge and opportunity for individual improvement. “I think our biggest struggle was being able to have everyone at practice because if one person is missing you can’t do much as it is very much a team oriented sport. We moved practice times around a lot to try and fit everyone’s needs and be able to be at practice, but we also worked on other individual skills when people were missing,” Rosen said.
The wins and losses of this memorable fall season have brought the team closer together, especially for seniors’ last year on the team. “My favorite part of training and competing as a team was bonding with my teammates and getting to know everyone. I’m so grateful for the friends I’ve made and I’m looking forward to the winter season with everyone,” Zuniga said.
