Northeast High cheerleaders raise money to go to national competition
When cheerleaders at Northeast High School aren’t busy rooting on the football team… or pumping up the crowd during a pep rally… you can expect to see them in practice, preparing for nationals.
“We’ve been practicing a lot lately. We practice every day from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sometimes during the school week, we practice before school at 5 a.m. and then we also go into extra practices in the evening,” said Maggie Hawkins, the cheerleading co-captain.
In February, thousands of people will be sitting in the stands cheering on their favorite team at the national cheer competition in Orlando, FL, and the Northeast cheerleaders are working hard to get on that stage.
“It’s just the feeling and experience of being there. You get to meet new people and meet new squads. It’s really good bonding with the teams. We’re really excited. And just competing on the floor, I love the feeling of winning and being winners. I think we all do,” said Mariah Emerson, the cheerleading captain.
In addition to team spirit, it will take money to get to nationals; therefore, the girls are hosting a pancake breakfast fundraiser.
“Cheering is already an expensive sport. Going to nationals is just something else that we need.
We need money for our bus, where we’re staying, food,” said Emerson.
The pancake breakfast is September 23 at Northcrest Baptist Church from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and tickets are $5. Since the national cheer competition is happening at the Walt Disney Resort, to put a spin on things, the cheerleaders will be serving pancakes dressed up as your favorite Disney character.
“We’re going to have Princess Tiana, Belle, Cinderella. We’re going to have Mickey and Minnie,” said Emerson.
The cheerleaders expalined it’s a breakfast you don’t want to miss, so show your trojan pride and come out and support the squad.
The Northeast cheerleaders won second place at the national cheerleading competition in 2016 and fifth place in 2017. They’re also four-time state champions of Mississippi Cheer Camps.
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