New coach brings new focus to Green Valley High cheerleading squad

By Diana Cox

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | midnight

Green Valley High School cheerleading captain Aysia Smith calls out "5-6-7-8," and 16 girls begin moving and chanting in unison in front of the sparsely filled stands: "Go, go, go, go, Gators!"

It is 20 minutes before the varsity football team's season opener against Bonanza High School, and the team practices up until the last minute.

The sounds of 16 sets of hands slapping on the sides of their thighs boom across the track and into the stands as spectators find their seats. The pompoms make loud swishing sounds as all 32 of them are whisked through the air in a series of sharp moves at once.

First-year cheerleading coach Jenn Odell watches the girls decked out in green and white uniforms and glittery tattoos of the Gator mascots on their cheeks.

The Green Valley varsity squad is focused on much more than being "just your average cheerleader," said Odell, who also teaches English at Green Valley.

She plans to lead her squad to be involved in school and the community, as well as being finely trained athletes. Her goal is to make cheerleading at Green Valley an athletic program.

"The girls jumped on board," she said, adding that they don't complain during the 30-minute cardio workouts, sit-ups and push-ups that start off each practice.

There is also a focus on precision and discipline.

Once the home game began, the girls took their posts atop bright green boxes on the track and watched the game.

When it was time for the first cheer, team co-captain Lexi George gave the signal, and the squad all stepped off their boxes in unison, rounding the left sides to face the crowd.

One of the captains yelled the cheer and executed the moves one time through. Without missing a beat, the team joined in the second time around.

When the Gators scored a touchdown, the cheerleaders sprinted to the end zone and quickly formed a human pyramid.

The squad began practicing at the beginning of August and attended 1 1/2 weeks of all-day cheer camps. During the school year, the squad will practice about 10 hours a week, Odell said.

The team has welcomed the new focus, Smith said.

"We needed to step it up," she said.

With a new coach and a new focus, the team is considering competing for the first time in January, when the competitive season begins.

The changes to the program have also made this the first year that the varsity cheerleaders will be eligible to receive an athletic letter.

But along with the push toward athleticism, the Green Valley cheerleaders are still able to maintain some of the old-fashioned elements of being a cheerleader. Before the start of the game, the Green Valley girls greeted the opposing team's cheerleaders in a show of good sportsmanship.

"Gators get to it. M-O-V-E- move it!"

Diana Cox is a reporter for the Home News. She can be reached at 990-8183 or [email protected].