Sophia Walcher
eSomethin Staff
For the students at Perrysburg High School, Fridays usually consist of hanging out at friends’ houses to get ready before attending the weekly football game. Being a high schooler, or even a junior high student, going to these games becomes a staple for the beginning of the school year into the fall season and the act of going to every game becomes routine.
For the Perrysburg High School Varsity Cheerleaders, every game is routine (literally). Having football practices every Tuesday and Wednesday puts the team of 12 girls into the game day mood, perfecting cheers, stunts, and pyramids to wow the crowd. To the cheerleaders, every Friday night is another opportunity to cheer their team to victory while exciting the parents and student section.
At the Perrysburg v. Napoleon game on Friday, September 15, area elementary students got to share in that opportunity as well as they participated in the annual kids clinic that the cheerleaders put on every football season. Around 100 girls came from Toth, Fort Meigs, Woodland, and Frank Elementary to learn cheers and perform them at the game.
Karen Kinzig, the Varsity Cheerleading Coach, explains that “every football season we offer the clinic to kindergarten through fourth grade.” The program is a one-day clinic that takes place the Wednesday before the game. “They come in and they learn the material and then they come to the game,” explains Kinzig. The future cheerleaders learn a series of cheers, time out chants, and a band dance. They also learn a quarter cheer to perform alongside the Varsity, JV, and Freshman cheerleading teams.
Not only is it fun for the kids, the cheerleaders enjoy themselves as well. Sydney Conard, a junior who is on the Varsity squad, says that her favorite part of the clinic is how much the kids love working. “They’re always so excited and on their toes, I just love it. I can’t wait for them to become PHS Cheerleaders.”
As the little girl’s smiles radiated out to the crowd, it was clear this event had matched its usual success. And luckily for these eager children, there are more opportunities to cheer with the high schoolers. Kinzig adds that “during basketball season we do the exact same thing.” Hopefully it will be met with the same success and enthusiasm.
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