By Matt Browning
The Sedgwick cheer team does more than just enhance the game environments for football and basketball.
It’s school and community involvement.
“I think that having an effective cheer team helps to build school spirit,” said Sedgwick cheer coach, Cristie Francis. “We plan pep rallies, put on clinics for our Pre-K through sixth grade students and we are leaders in the classroom and at games.”
Francis also said that when times are tough during games, the cheer squad has the responsibility of getting the fans engaged again.
“Our spirit helps the environment at games by keeping the fans into the game,” Francis said. “Win or lose the cheerleaders always have to be smiling and cheering their team on.”
Sedgwick’s seniors this year are Ethan Tolin, Emma Koehn, Ally Rueda, Gaby Petersen and Abby Banta and Francis said they are one of her best classes she has ever coached.
“I could not ask for better leadership,” Francis said. “I have known these five since I started coaching 11 years ago. This team is one of the best I have ever coached and I hope that their leadership will encourage others to be those same type of leaders for years to come.”
The tryout system for the Sedgwick cheer team is an intricate one.
“The point system for tryouts has a total of 110 points possible,” Francis said. “Half of the points consist of teacher evaluations, grade point averages, and tardy and attendance. The other half of the points come directly from the tryout itself. The tryout itself is judged by college cheerleaders, we have had KSU, WSU, Bethel and Fort Hayes judge our tryouts.”
