In the past years, the Cheer squad only had a Varsity team. This year, in addition to the varsity team, a JV team was created. 

“I think when we didn’t have a JV, we were a little closer together as an entire team; I think the JV is really good to help new members learn more, so when they are on Varsity they know more skills and are able to do more,” Ava Best, 10, said.  

Having  a JV allows the Varsity team to teach the JV members the cheers, stunts, and other skills needed for Varsity.

“We are able to work with people who need a little more help and are able to improve instead of trying out and getting cut over and over again,” Best said.

Lots of these members want to cheer, and having a JV allows the members to pick up skills they may not have had during tryouts. 

“I prefer the cheer team with a JV because it allows the program to grow and they can eventually get better and be with varsity too. I feel like coming from JV they will be able to help future JVers,” Haley Starkey, 12 , said.

Although there are many positives with having a JV team, there are also negatives.

“I feel like this year, having the JV team and a new coach, there’s just a lot more going on all the time,” Starkey said “I feel like with a new team we are a little bit more divided because we are at so many different levels. I think it’s a good thing because, again, we are growing the program and the bigger the team is the more competitive we can be and in future years we will be able to do more competitions,” 

Building the cheerleading program comes at a cost. Adding a team means adding a coach. Having a new team and a new coach can be stressful for the returning members. This year means new things, new people, and new experiences.