By Abby Hite, Staff Writer
Think “Bring It On.” Now smaller, a little less drama, but with all the fun. On Saturday, Feb. 16, First Flight will host the conference competition for cheerleading, the second time it will be hosted here since the school opened.
First Flight’s competition team is a different team than basketball cheer or football cheer and is a combination of varsity and JV. Five out of the six teams in the conference will be competing. Typically, teams will start practicing a routine at the beginning of the season in August to perfect every small detail.
“A couple of schools have expressed concern that they are not ready because this is a big project to take on and creating a routine takes time and effort,” cheerleading coach Cindy McNeill said.
The competition will begin with an exhibition from The Dare County Flyers at 3:30. The Flyers are a part of Special Olympics Dare County, a non-profit organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Then the conference teams will present their routines.
So far this year, the Nighthawks have competed twice, improving each time. On Feb. 2, they competed at the North Carolina Cheerleading Coaches Association (NCCCA) State Championship and got second in their division. Currituck and Northeastern, the previous conference champions, also competed, but in the non-tumble division.
“Last competition we got to see who we are going up against and we’re making some good changes to be even better,” junior cheerleader Reece Pritchard said.
If you’ve ever played football, basketball, soccer, volleyball or even wrestled, the cheerleaders have been there and cheered for you. This Saturday, you can come support your fellow Nighthawks see how hard they have worked. Ticket sales will begin at 2:30 p.m. for $7 and doors will open at 3 for spectators.
“I’m strong, I’m loud, I’m gonna make you proud…”
Junior Abby HIte can be reached at hiteab0304@daretolearn.org.
