The Woodmen competition cheer team is preparing for a season that is full of high hopes and even higher expectations.

The Mid-State competition is looming in the near future. Past success is looking to repeat itself again this year.

“We did pretty good last year. We had a higher expectation for us last year since the high school won Mid-State two years ago, but this year we are holding ourselves to higher standards so we can do as well as we did last year and the year before,” sophomore Grace Dawson said.

Winning the conference is not easy, but with a new performance with new stunts, the girls hope to do well.

“At Mid-State, we should do very well. We have a great routine that will be very entertaining. We all have high hopes for the competition,” freshman Avery Guilfoy said.

Last year’s performance built the base of this year’s. Having tough stunts and difficult routines improves the team’s skills and overall confidence.

“Last year’s performance definitely prepared me for this year because last year’s routine was tough and this year is even tougher, but it’s exciting to see us doing so well with skills we didn’t know we could do,” Dawson said.

With a new stunt combination this year, the performance will be difficult. With the difficulty, comes expectations to win.

“Our routine is difficult this year. The stunt sequence is very hard and advanced,” sophomore Hannah Miscik said. “We have a big series of extremely difficult stunts all put together. It should lead to a great performance and hopefully a conference championship.”

The team is full of newcomers. The older members have taken in their young teammates to make them feel more comfortable.

“I feel like the teammate that has been the biggest mentor for me is Lily Hommell,” Guilfoy said. “Coming into competition cheer as a freshman is scary, but she always seems to give the best advice and can help whenever anyone needs it.”

Being a freshman on a team with upperclassmen can be daunting. Feeling welcomed or unwanted can impact the confidence of a younger teammate.

“The coaches and girls are very welcoming,” Guilfoy said. “Coming in as a freshman, it was really cool to see how tight they were as a team and friends outside of competition.”

The excitement and rush of succeeding are enough for anyone to fall in love with something. That does not change for athletes

“My favorite part of being on the team would have to be the feeling of the exciting rush me and the girls get when we succeed and do something new,” Dawson said.

Being close and having a tight bond with teammates is important to being successful. Woodmen competition cheer said they will be successful because of their bond.

“We are all so close friends outside of cheer,” Guilfoy said. “It is fun to be able to get the chance to do the things we love together. It really pulls us together and betters our chances of winning.”