Your favorite heroes do not always win when the story comes to an end. They lose and just when it might seem to be over, they trump the trials and tribulations for an even greater victory. Cheerleading is just like this. You practice the laces off your sneakers and the voice out of your throat, but you might not get the result you expected. The ILS Cheer Team have been faced with this wall recently, and although it was just runner-up that they got in their recent trip to States, they know no team can take their crown.

“It was so fun for us as a team because we got to bond a lot. Even though we were all nervous we had a great time… we’re going to Nationals soon and we’ll make it,” assured sophomore side-base Megan Dominguez.

Things may not always go as planned, and instead of fighting each other, they improvise and adjust to the situation. Coordination is what makes the points be in their favor so being flexible with each other’s mistakes is what has made them picture-perfect once you see them perform.

“We just work with each other instead of against each other, and that works a lot… especially in competition you just gotta do what you gotta do to keep her up,” explained side-base junior Rafaela Barbacci.

When you look at these girls and all the work they’ve done, you see they aren’t worried. Training and practicing six days a week has given them insane understanding about their craft, and when you understand your craft you don’t panic.

“Our coach kept our spirits up…we will steal our crowns back because nobody steals our crowns,” said backspot junior Gabriella Díaz.