The Central cheer team hosted the Mini Mustang Cheer Clinic this past week, performing with over 100 kids to “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift.
At the clinic, the cheerleaders were in charge of teaching the kids stunts, jumps, motions and a choreographed dance. At halftime at the “pink out” football game, the cheerleaders performed alongside the kids.
Freshman Eden Arb attended the clinic herself when she was six year old.
“I just remember during the football game we did a dance,” Arb said. “I think it was from one of the Trolls songs and it was really fun.”
Junior Morgan McCullum said she was excited for the clinic.
“Working with five- and six-year-olds is the best,” McCullum said. “They do not lose focus like the really little kids do, but are also just good vibes and want to be there.”
McCullum said her favorite part is the stunting portion, which is where the kids learn how to perform lower level stunts.
“On the clinic day we do a fun warm up,” McCullum said.”They break into three stations, stunting, jumps, and motions. In the stunting portion, we do a demonstration and after we demo. Then they each get a turn to fly a thigh stand and we base them. Then they learn the dance.”
McCullum was shocked to find out that they had so many kids signed up.
“I am not too sure how it happened,” McCullum said. “I think it was because we recently started being more active on Facebook, which a lot of parents use.”
Sophomore Madison Verhoeff said her favorite part of the performance is hyping the kids up.
“Before we go on the field we go and get all of the kids and get them excited,” Verhoeff said. “We practice right before we go on and when it is halftime we all hold hands and walk out on the field and we perform.”
McCullum said she hopes she can inspire kids to cheer when they are older.
“There are not a lot of opportunities in our community to cheer before middle school,” McCullum said. “Cheer is such a fun activity and if we can inspire just one person to keep cheering as they get older it would be amazing.”
