The Trinity Lutheran gymnasium has hosted pom-poms, upbeat music, loud cheers and dance routines over the past three days on their hardwood floor.
Cougars varsity cheerleading co-coaches Cheryl Fourman and Sherry Schult, along with their varsity squad, oversaw the development of kids ranging from 3-years-old to sixth grade.
The camp ran Wednesday and today.
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The younger age group, three through kindergarten, practiced for one hour before the first- through six-graders attended a two-hour camp.
In the first hour, the younger kids are mostly introduced to cheer. Eight girls attended the first group.
“We really just want them to have fun, for them to be able to use the pom-poms and the signs and see what it’s all about,” Schult said. “Hopefully they can get excited about it and come to the (football and basketball) games.”
Some of the older kids have gone to the camp for a couple of years.
“It is really fun,” Jada Barker, an incoming second-grader said. “I get to do back handsprings by myself. It was the first time I’ve done it. They teach us chants, cheering and dance.”
Fellow second-grader, Maggie Braman said she attended her third camp this year.
Maggie and her sister Emma, an incoming third-grader, both liked working on different routines.
“I like to cheer,” Maggie said. “My favorite part is the lifts. We do back handsprings and tumbling and other things.”
While it’s not required to have gymnastics in their repertoire, kids who are able to pull of more difficult routines are encouraged to work on their skills.
“I love when we do the lifts,” Emma said. “ We learned how to back handspring and do different dances. We’ve done one dance. I want to come back next year. It’s fun doing it with my sister.”
Both coaches stressed the influence the varsity team holds over helping coach the kids.
“We always tell the high school girls that they need to be role models for the community and little girls,” Fourman said. “Its a good opportunity for our girls and the younger girls to get together.”
Fourman and Schult are in their third year coaching cheer camp together at Trinity.
“It’s good for (the varsity) to be able to do that community service and get out there with the younger girls,” Schult said. “We have 14 cheerleaders this year and it’s good for them to be out here. They form relationships with some of our cheerleaders coming back for their third year.”