Verdigris Cheer
When head coach Stephanie Sparks took over the Verdigris cheer program, she knew the transition would take some time for the athletes to adapt to the new style of coaching. The team’s ability to deal with the change and overcome is something that stood out for coach Sparks this season.
“This season I have enjoyed the team’s willingness to adapt to change. Anytime a new head coach comes on board, there will be some changes that take place. The squad was excellent about going with the flow and accepting new methods of operation without complaint,” said Sparks.
Three seniors made captain this season. That group includes Haven O’Shields, Grace Evans, and Reese Willhite. As a group, Sparks said the team overcame some last-minute adversity which arose just prior to competing.
“This year, our most experienced flyer broke her pinky 10 days before competition and was pulled from all activities due to surgical ramifications. Her stunts were featured in the middle of most of our routine which meant huge formation changes during a time that should have been spent on polishing. I am proud of my girls for handling the pressure and stress of this event with positivity and grace,” said Sparks.
“ ”The remainder of the school year will find the cheer team focusing on basketball and other activities on the schedule before the focus turns to tryouts in the spring.
“Every season we host a youth cheer clinic for grades K-6th; our aspiring cheerleaders learn a cheer and a dance to be performed during halftime of a home basketball game,” Sparks said. “We are super excited this year because the clinic theme revolves around Christmas, so each grade-level dance will be performed to a catchy Christmas tune sure to please the crowd.”
The future of the program looks strong. Coach Sparks and assistant coach Kirstie Woods have worked to increase overall fundamental skills on the squad and to establish an even stronger work ethic; both will bring heightened energy and power dynamics to the program according to coach Sparks.
“We have a lot of talented girls in 7th-12th grades and moving forward our JH and varsity teams will focus on versatility which means I want squad members to be more than one-trick ponies; I want them to be able to back spot and base or base, back spot, and tumble. The goal is to help each cheerleader become a more well-rounded participant in as many areas of cheer as possible. Versatility is paramount to the success of smaller squads,” said Sparks.
Verdigris Cheer Roster
9th: Brielle Martin, Olivia Reiss 10th: McKenzie Abbott, Allie Parson, Macie Peters, Avery Phillips, Kate Sperling, 11th: Ashlynne Carter, Ayva Hutchcraft, Peyton Klass, Laurel O’Dell, Railey Smith, Brinly Woodfin 12th: Grace Evans, Haven O’Shields, Reese Willhite
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