On October 26, the Falls Church Varsity Cheer Team won first place at the Conference Championships, reclaiming their 2013 title. Continuing on to the regional tournament the following Saturday, the team finished fifth in the region. The entire season was devoted to hours of preparation for conferences so when the day finally arrived, they were all determined to leave victoriously.

Many don’t realize the cheer team does far more than just cheering on our football team. Most of the season is dedicated to perfecting routines for competitions. When asked which he preferred, Tran Troung (12) revealed that he couldn’t decide. “Cheering at games and competing at competitions are so different. Football games are always very exciting because of the high energy at the game with the hype squad. Competition is what we work for all season so everyone on the team gets really pumped. It’s fun to go head and head with other schools because our team is very competitive.”

Last year, the team members stood side-by-side in utter shock, realizing they had placed third in the conference, only trailing first place by half a point. Senior Captain Emily Santos said, “This year we wanted to take our title back, especially with eight seniors on the team. We had been working six days a week since August and were so happy to see that all our hard work finally paid off.”

With new head coach Jessica Brown and assistant, Jessica McClean, Santos expressed that the team was pleased to have a fresh start: “They really pushed us to be our best and were extremely positive. They made the season without a doubt, the best yet.”

Ellie Thatcher (9), one of the few freshmen on the team, reflected on the victory and said, “Winning conferences was absolutely amazing! I was completely speechless and so proud of my entire team!” She also expressed how she will miss the seniors, but is very excited to see what cheer will be like in years to come.

Falls Church is beyond proud of all our cheerleaders and the hard work they put in this season! I’m sure Santos speaks for all when she says she will miss seeing her teammates every day. “We have created a bond like no other and I have met some of my best friends through this sport.”

“2015” was ironed on the Cheer banner this fall to mark their achievement.  The team, and the Falls Church community as a whole, hope to add many more years right beside it.