The varsity competitive cheerleaders placed 13th out of 25 teams at the state competition on Feb. 2, improving on their 25th place finish the year before. It was a close finish, as the Vikings were only 0.43 points away from advancing.  

The whole routine only lasts for two minutes and thirty seconds. However, the short time frame is filled with flips, stunts, and yelling to showcase the team’s best skills.

This year, one of the most difficult stunts according to junior Lea Larsen was the “full ups.” After working in their individual stunt groups, they are able to push through their toughest task.

Larsen shares the bustling nature of a typical competition.

“There’s nothing boring in it, and there is something always going on,” Larsen said.

To prepare, the team meets everyday after school for two and a half hours. They stretch, warm-up, practice their routine, then follow up with any extra practice for areas they think need more work.

Junior Mackenzie Basille characterizes the after school practices and highlights the team’s passion.

“It’s hard, pretty grueling, and intense, but every girl has so much passion for the sport; you don’t really realize how tired you are,” Basille said.

While each competition varies in the number of competitors, the highest number of teams Fremd has competed against this season was 34 at the Huntley Invite. They were able to place seventh and gained confidence to achieve their future goals.

The most important component to qualify for state is placing top five in the Mid-Suburban League. Basille attributes the team’s success to the countless hours perfecting their routine.

“We really work hard to nail down our routine during our practices, so we can feel confident going into the competition,” she said.

As a result, the team placed second in the MSL, followed by third in sectionals, and were once again on the road to state.

Basille describes the exhilaration of competing on the state mat at Illinois State University, under the lights.

“The feeling is one of a kind,” Basille said.

In a recap of the season, Larsen shares her most rewarding moment from this season.

“I am most proud of placing second at our MSL and third at our sectionals because it’s never been done before,” Larsen said.

With Larsen’s satisfaction of this past season, she looks to her senior year with excitement.

“I’m looking forward to do more things that I’ve never done, and be able to see how all my team’s hard work has paid off the last four years,” she said.