By Trina Walker
At Edmond Memorial High School, the goal of the Bulldog cheer squad is to make progress in all aspects of the sport. “These ladies have already surpassed several of the goals they set for themselves and the squad as a whole. Now we are working to be even better next year,” says cheer coach, Lauren Jardot.
The EMHS competitive cheer team finished 3rd in the 6A II OSSAA Regional State Competition this year. Coach Jardot says they fell short of placement due to stunting errors in the state finals. Despite setbacks, they are strong competitors looking to the future. “The advice I want to pass on to my team is to always remember to strive to be better than you were yesterday,” said Jardot.
The cheer teams consist of a 12-member freshman squad and a varsity squad of 24. Once the squads are formed, the 36 athletes tryout for the state performance squad where they compete against other 6A schools across Oklahoma. In a VYPE poll, the varsity squad was chosen as the favorite cheerleading squad in Edmond.
The team performed their state routine at a school pep assembly held during competition season. They impressed the crowd with a perfect performance hitting a ‘0’. This means every stunt and tumbling pass hit with zero mistakes made.
“Hearing their peers, parents and staff genuinely cheer with excitement for them was an experience I will never forget. Most never see what all these girls can do but they were able to showcase their talent at that assembly and wow the crowd! It gave me chills,” exclaimed Jardot.
Competition routines take months to perfect. The cheerleaders make the routine look easy, but the high-level stunts and tumbling require extreme skill. All motions, jumps, dismounts and formation changes must be in perfect synchronization to earn the highest scores. Only top athletes can pull off the difficult physicality of routines.
As always, the cheerleaders are also highly visible at sporting events. Cheering on the sidelines to increase crowd participation and enthusiasm is a vital and visible role of the EMHS cheer squad.
