As the year comes to an end, preparation for next years varsity cheer team begins. To begin this year’s cheer season, head coach Courtney Raymundo held try outs, April 20. She has many goals for the coming team, and she is very excited for the many opportunities the team will have in the upcoming year.

Over the summer, the team will also travel to the Azusa Pacific University to compete in Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders’ (FCC) cheer camp. Previously the girls place first in their division, alongside receiving individual awards that usually go towards the upperclassmen on the team.

Raymundo has plans for the new team and is looking forward to getting to know the new girls participating in the sport.

“This year I am excited to work with a new group of girls,” Raymundo said. “I am looking forward to seeing the returning cheerleaders step up as leaders and teach the incoming freshmen. I’m hopeful that others will see the exciting things these girls do and help grow the program in the future.”

Raymundo has high expectations of the team, but also wants to encourage them to set standards for themselves, not only as cheerleaders, but also as young women.

“I have high expectations for the girls and hold them to a standard,” Raymundo said. “I want to see women professing godliness. I hope to teach these young ladies about the importance of modesty.”

This year, Raymundo is hoping to stress modesty among the girls as modesty is very important to her. She wants the girls on the team to respect themselves, others and the Lord as well.

“It’s so important for girls at this age to be aware of their modesty and how it affects other people,” Raymundo said. “I want them to also see the importance of respect for others and responsibility in their school work and athletic commitments.”

This year, the team has new goals. Raymundo wants the team to grow and the girls to individually push themselves. Although there have been past struggles with the cheer program, she hopes that the team will continue to work hard.

“My main goal and hope for this program is to see it grow,” Raymundo said. “It’s hard coming into a program that has had so many changes in such a short time. I want people to see consistency with this cheer program, and with that I hope others will see the hard work these girls put in and will possibly take interest in trying out in the future.”

As trying out, freshman Macy Mascarenas is now a new member on the varsity cheer squad. She is excited to be a part of the cheer team this coming season.

“I am really excited for the games with the team, and cheer camp at Azusa; it is going to be really fun,” Mascarenas said. “The year is going to be wonderful and I am really excited to grow in my skills as a cheerleader.”

Cheer Captain, Rayna Endicott, ’14, also has high hopes for the team and is excited for next year.

“I’m really excited for cheer this upcoming year, especially since it will be my senior year,” Endicott said. “It’s bitter sweet because I know this will be my last year. I’m really looking forward to camp coming up this summer.”

For Endicott one of the highlights of the cheer season is cheer camp. She enjoys the bonding time she is able to spend with the team.

“It is such a fun time of bonding and growing as a team,” Endicott said. “I am looking forward to getting to experience that with all these girls. We are also hoping to send a stunt group to do a group stunt competition this year.”

Endicott predicts that the new season for cheer will bring great experiences as well as memories.

“I think we will all get along great and really work well together,” Endicott said. “We have a few new girls which is great. Even though we are a small team I know that we will be able to continue to improve and really grow more and more in our skills.”

For more information about the cheer program contact Coach Courtney Raymundo via email.

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @eShakeshaft_7. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more news, read the April 25 article, BRIEF: Drama to present comical production.