Palomar College’s Cheerleading team took to Palomar’s practice football field for tryouts just a day after the last day of the spring 2024 semester to build up next semester’s roster.
Tumblers showed off their skills, doing flips across the grass to impress Coach Reed and leaders of the team. Cheerleaders from the spring 2024 team practiced their quick stunts and formations with bright smiles and high energy. Tryouts was made up of returning cheerleaders and newcomers, all of them working to try and get a spot on the team.
After winning third place at USA Nationals in February, the entire team was feeling energized and eager to carry the momentum they gained in the spring into the fall. With some of the team’s leaders having graduated at the end of this spring semester, everyone at tryouts was aware of the importance of building up a strong roster for the future. And despite losing some of their leadership at the end of this semester, the team’s spirits are still high.
“We have lots of great new talent. And I’m excited for my second year, my veteran season,” said Reagan Barnum, a returning cheerleader who will also be serving as the student trustee next semester.
For everyone on the team who is returning in the fall, there’s no better word to describe their energy than “excited.” With the trophy from USA Nationals under their belt, the team knows what they’re capable of and their confidence in each other was evident during tryouts. Even when tumblers tumbled at the end of their run or when flyers lost their balance during quick stunts, the entire team was always there to help them back up.
“I feel confident that we can do it. We have a lot of good people this year and I think we can probably bring second or first this year, fingers crossed,” said Cadance Ewig, returning cheerleader, when asked how she felt about competing at USA Nationals again next year.
It can be difficult for a Cheerleading team like Palomar’s to have a solid roster of athletes, because it’s a school where people are trying to graduate or transfer out in a two-years. To consistently have a great team lineup when the turnover rate is so much quicker compared to their four-year counterparts can be a challenge. Which is why the returning cheerleaders and aspiring newcomers had to bring their A-game to tryouts, and why they will have to bring it to every practice, game, and competition in the future.
“There’s only two years, it’s hard to have like one person for two years because they come in as a rookie and then they’re a veteran in their second year and then they leave you,” said Coach Reed.
But the team has a lot to look forward to over the next year, with construction finishing on Palomar College’s new football stadium in the fall, where they’ll get to take to the field and cheer on the Comets from the sidelines of the new field. And with the team returning to USA Nationals next February, Coach Reed and the leaders already have a plan to shoot for another podium.
“We’re going to do a stunt camp this year to kind of really move faster in that area, because I can teach game day but I want them to be able to get that experience with stunting a little bit faster… And then we will start working on our routines during football season right here on the new stadium field. I think it’s gonna be great,” said Coach Reed.
