Athletic teams are no strangers to adversity. Rarely is there a season where there is not some kind of an issue that arises. But when those times do come, you find out what the team is made of by how they respond. The Elmore City-Pernell cheer team is a great example of that.
“This year our team’s strength would definitely be perseverance,” said ECPHS cheer coach Kristal Patterson. “They overcame many obstacles this season to attain their goals. They worked very hard to be competitive, they strive to engage our crowds at the athletic events, and put in the work in the classroom as well.”
Patterson is in her second year of leading the high school cheer team. She is proud of her team and how they each stepped up to help the team be successful.
“We took all 13 girls who tried out this year and reached our goal of qualifying for state,” she said. “Many of the girls hadn’t competed before and we even had a few who had never cheered before. This season was physically and mentally challenging for us, and each and everyone of them stepped up to play a vital role in our team.”
Junior Jyntree Patterson is the captain of the cheer squad and she says that she likes to help get the crowd involved at games.
“The thing that I most enjoy when cheering for my school is when we are at a game cheering during a timeout, you can really feel the crowd cheering with you! The energy is one of the most exciting things,” she said.
Junior Jade Cook is proud of what her team was able to accomplish this season.
“We made it to state, which was a huge accomplishment for us,” she said. “Throughout this year, we have challenged ourselves to be the best that we can be and also enjoy cheering together.”
