Competition season has barely started for our cheerleaders, but they are happy to start competing. With their first competition on Saturday, December 11^th, the cheerleaders are feeling nervous and excited to compete. The cheerleaders are competing at Jacobs High School, showing off their routine for the very first time.

Junior Morgan Poole is nervous about the team’s first competition. This is her first year cheering on the St. Edward Cheer team but she has been cheering for almost twelve years. Morgan would like to say, “Thank you to my team and for working hard to get to where we are. I’m excited to be there for the seniors to finish their last season strong.” Freshman Delilah Birns says their competition season is going well and they are prepared for their competition. This is her first year cheering ever and she is nervous about her first-ever competition. Delilah says, “I am so proud of how far we’ve come as a team this year; I’ll miss the seniors next year.” The 2021 Varsity Cheer Competition team consists of ten girls, with four seniors. The 2021’s senior cheerleaders are Gabby Sarullo, Emily Sarullo, Ashley Mahute, and Izzy Kirkwood. These four girls have been part of the competition team for all four years at St. Edward. I interviewed the senior cheerleaders to hear what they have to say about competition season.

Gabby Sarullo has been cheering for thirteen years of her life. Her favorite aspect of cheer is how close we are as a team and how we all cheer for each other and lift each other up. Something she has learned during her four years at St. Edward is to “never give up when times are tough and to keep pushing because the end result is so rewarding.” With her time at St. Edward coming to an end, she would like to tell her underclassmen to all treat each other with respect and not take anything for granted. Her favorite memory from being on this team is getting 3^rd at state during her sophomore year. You’ll find Gabby Sarullo eating chicken tenders after she performs.

Emily Sarullo has also been cheering for thirteen years. Her sister, Gabby Sarullo, encouraged her to start cheering. Her favorite part of cheerleading is stunting and tumbling. She would like to tell her underclassmen to “never give up and that anything is possible.” Something that Emily Sarullo will always remember is the Sunday practice before their state 2020 competition. Emily Sarullo will be listening to “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals before a competition and will be eating ice cream after competing. Her favorite motivational quote is “do it for each other and not anyone else.”

Ashley Mahute has been cheering for seven years and was first inspired when she would see cheer teams practicing and try to do what they were doing. Her favorite part of cheer is the friendships she has made. Something she has learned through these four years is to stay on top of everything and manage her time. Advice that she would give to underclassmen is that “even though it might seem hard at times, it pays off in the end if you stick with it.” One of her favorite memories is podiuming at state her sophomore year. You’ll find Ashley Mahute listening to “Starships” by Nicki Minaj before competing and eating at Chick-fil-a after.

Izzy Kirkwood has participated in recreational cheer until she was about nine years old. When she heard about the St. Edward cheer team, she wanted to join. Being part of this team for four years has taught her a lot, “I mostly learned that prioritizing others and sacrificing yourself for them is not always the best idea. Even in a team environment, you need to make some decisions that benefit you.” Her favorite part of competition cheer is the feeling of hitting all their stunts and ending their routine with a bang.