Photo by Jasmyne Ray.
The Chelsea Middle School cheerleaders will be competing at the UCA Nationals High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando on Feb. 8.
Chelsea Middle School cheerleading coach and physical education teacher Rachel Trice understands all too well the pressures and struggles that come with being a teenage girl.
A former cheerleader herself, something she emphasizes with the group is how they should “cherish” their time both in the uniform and as a squad, as well as encouraging their personal growth.
“I was just watching a video where it was saying that one day this is not going to be your life, of putting on that uniform, of stepping on the court or stepping on the field,” Trice said. “And that just hit home for me because one day they’re not going to be cheering. One day they’re going to graduate high school and maybe they don’t cheer anymore.”
With half of the school year behind them, this year’s squad of 26 seventh and eighth grade girls have accomplished a lot, including securing third place at the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) Southern Cheerleading Championship held at the BJCC on Dec. 18. They competed in the Game Day event, showcasing things that spectators would see from them on the sidelines including cheers, a band chant and the fight song.
Their historic win — it was the first time Chelsea Middle cheerleaders had ever participated in a competition, Trice said — will now take them to UCA’s National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando on Feb. 8.
“At the beginning of last season, after we had tryouts, I knew that I wanted to try to do a competition this year,” Trice said. “And so, through the summer we got that set up and started practice in August.”
The squad has worked hard through football and now basketball season, practicing their routines, stunts and keeping tabs on their school work.
“They have a lot on their plate and, as a coach, I know the stresses that they have at this age,” Trice said. “It’s a tough age, and so I just want to be the best that I can be for them.”
One key to the squad’s success thus far has been their teamwork and ability to communicate with each other openly. Unlike most squads, instead of having a captain and co-captain, Trice will select a “leader” on a rotational basis, giving everyone the chance to step into the position and guide the team.
Going into the Southern Cheerleading Championship competition, she didn’t want to put too much pressure on the girls to win, instead telling them that it was a great achievement to even be competing in the first place. Now that they’re headed to nationals, she wants them to go into it with the mindset that they’ve already won by the simple fact that they’re there.
“I told them, ‘Your goal is to go down there and just set a name for yourself. We are Chelsea Middle School, and we’re here and we’ve finally made it to this big moment,’” Trice said.
