Cheerleaders go to work at camp

When the phrase “boot camp” is used in a sentence, most thoughts go to running in the rain through obstacle courses, and doing a thousand push ups. When people hear the word “cheerleading”


their minds normally go to short skirts, pom-poms, and little blonde girls yelling chants. But rarely do the words cheerleading and boot camp go in the same sentence. However on Feb. 21 the cheerleaders at North will be holding their first ever cheer boot camp. The boot camp is for sixth through eighth graders, and the cost is $20 per child. The camp is set up to help bring in more future cheerleaders for North.
“I think it will help the eighth graders be more prepared for when tryouts come around,” sophomore
Cori Bradley said, “So hopefully they will feel like they know what they’re doing.”
During the boot camp, the cheerleaders will be reviewing jumps, motions and stunting with the middle school students. JV coach Erica Gittemeier hopes that the boot camp will help the middle school students see that cheerleading isn’t just about wearing nice uniforms and being spirited, but instead that it takes lots of practice and hard work.
“I think if I would have [been in] a boot camp last year before I went to tryouts, it would have helped me to be less nervous when I was trying out,” freshman cheerleader Ariana Pagan said.