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Archive for the ‘Cheer’ Category

New home, new fun for Brazilian import!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , , on August 28, 2015| 1 Comment »

Julia Borges

Julia Borges (Photo courtesy Borges)

Coupeville cheer will have a Brazilian accent this year.

This addition of foreign exchange student Julia Borges adds a big city touch to small town athletics.

The newest Wolf hails from São Paulo, the most populous city in the Western hemisphere and the 13th biggest in the entire world.

Estimates of the population run from 11-19 million (depending on whether you count the metropolitan area surrounding the city).

And now Borges will call Coupeville, with a population of less than 1,900, home for the next school year.

The quiet, and the weather, have been the biggest transitions so far.

“I was afraid to live in a town so different from Sao Paulo, but I am adjusting so well here!,” Borges said. “My host family is so nice and everyone I have already met is nice and helpful too!

“That is the biggest surprise I had and my biggest challenge here is the cold weather, which I am not used to.”

Borges has many supporters back home (“I have a big family with a lot of cousins and relatives”) and their faith in her made it easier to travel around the globe.

“I always wanted to be an exchange student and my family always supported that idea!,” Borges said. “I intend to improve my English, to be more independent, to meet new people and to have a different experience!”

Like most foreign exchange students, she had no idea where she would end up, but she’s quickly adjusting to the culture shock.

“Coupeville was a surprise destination and now I am sure it is the perfect town for my exchange!,” Borges said. “Everybody here is so friendly and nice!”

While she’s never been a cheerleader before, Borges, who hopes to also play tennis for CHS in the spring, has been a dancer for most of her life, which should help.

“It is not common to have cheer-leading team in Brazil, so that is a different experience that all the Brazilian girls would like to have,” she said. “I love dancing and I have been practicing it in Brazil since I was a child, so being a cheerleader is similar.”

Borges also plays the piano and enjoys movies and music. After her year in America, she plans to return to her home country and study architecture.

And, while her Coupeville odyssey is just beginning, she already has plans for return visits.

“I intend to come back here later and visit everyone from Coupeville that I will miss so much!”

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Halpin keeps family cheer tradition alive!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , , on August 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Gaby Halpin (center) with some of her CHS cheer teammates.

   Gaby Halpin (center) hangs out on the ferry with her CHS cheer teammates. (Photos courtesy Halpin)

Gaby

Halpin (center), already a key member of the Wolf family.

Cedillo

Halpin bonds with Wolf vet Robin Cedillo.

She’s young, but already a veteran.

While Coupeville High School freshman Gaby Halpin will be in her first year as a member of the Wolf cheer squad, she’s been doing this for quite some time.

“I started in grade school, like a little league cheer-leading thing,” she said.

A multi-sport threat (Halpin played volleyball in middle school and is interested in running track in the spring), she was introduced to the cheer life by her family.

“Everyone on my mom’s side of the family did cheer, so I was interested in it,” Halpin said.

A dancer since age three who loves history and hanging out (“I’m always listening to music, usually chillin’ with friends”), she enjoys cheer for the way it combines athleticism with spirit.

“Cause it’s dancing and yelling and supporting our school, which is really fun,” Halpin said. “It’s definitely a sport. It’s way more difficult then it looks.

“It takes long hours of practice and a lot of strength to throw someone up in the air!”

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Wolf frosh embraces cheer life!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , , on August 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Katherine Morales

Katherine Morales

Coupeville High School cheer embraces the theory of Ohana, building a family as the season progresses.

It’s a concept Wolf freshman Katherine Morales is very happy to be associated with.

“I’ve been cheering for three months and I started because it looked super fun and I’ve always wanted to try it out,” she said. “I enjoy everything about cheer, but especially stunting and cheering with my cheer sisters!”

A huge fan of watching favorite shows such as Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries on Netflix, Morales also enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and speaking Spanish.

Having played volleyball and basketball in middle school, she is considering picking up a tennis racket for the Wolves this spring.

“I’m still not sure if I will be doing tennis this year, but sure would love to try it out,” Morales said.

She credits her family with being her biggest support, whether in sports or real life.

“My mom has a really big impact on me and she definitely helped make me the person that I am now,” Morales said. “She always encourages me to be me and practice really hard to get better at things.”

That mentality helps her get through the intensive practices run by the Wolf cheer squad.

And, while school officials still insist on officially referring to cheer as an activity and not a sport, Morales thinks otherwise.

“What I would tell the CHS officials (and anyone else that doesn’t think cheer-leading is sport) to change their mind, would be that cheer-leading is a sport because we cheerleaders and athletes work and practice really hard to get better at routines, stunting, flexibility, etc.”

“We go to camp, compete at camp, train to get stronger … so yet why don’t you consider cheer-leading a sport?”

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“I enjoy so many things in cheer!!”

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , , on August 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

kaela

Kaela Hollrigel

Kaela Hollrigel

The lighter side of Hollrigel’s personality surfaces.

Kaela Hollrigel is a busy young woman.

The Coupeville High School junior, who moved to the Island last October, has added cheer to a schedule already chock-full.

Along with being a wingman for the Wolf cheer squad, Hollrigel is a leader in both ASB and National Honor Society, while also participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Toss in side activities (“My primary interests are reading and doing art, like painting and drawing”), favorite classes like science and art and hanging out with family (“I love to spend time with my mom and sister”) and she’s got a lot going on.

Though, and this is a HUGE plus, Hollrigel still finds the time to appreciate a little AC/DC, so, when CHS football announcer Willie Smith cranks up his pre-game tunes over the PA system this fall, at least one Wolf cheerleader will enjoy the moment.

Hollrigel picked up the cheer bug as a way to meet people in her new home, and it’s worked out splendidly.

“I started because I wanted to be a part of a team that is fun and a great workout,” she said. “I also wanted to join cheer because I thought it would be a great way to make friends, and it is.”

Now several months intro her introduction to the sport, Hollrigel has come to appreciate the connections that grow between teammates.

“I enjoy so many things in cheer. Like the great bond all of us have formed like a family; we all call it Ohana,” she said. “Also I love how much fun all the dances are and the routines and our coach Cheridan (Eck) makes our practices so much fun for all of us because each day is a new experience.”

Team leaders have helped show her the way, and she looks up to them for their leadership, style and inclusiveness.

“Some players that have really been a role model to me are our team captains, Allison Dickson and Sylvia Hurlburt, because they are such great role models for the whole team and with the help of Cheridan they make practice even more fun then it already is,” Hollrigel said.

“And that’s pretty hard, because we all have so much fun.”

But, while it’s enjoyable, there is also a lot of work involved, work that Hollrigel and her teammates would like to see appreciated.

“I would consider CHS cheer a sport, because as a team we do a great workout every day during practice,” she said. “We also have Workout Wednesday’s, where we do our own personalized workouts.

“As a team we also have a great workout when stunting because we have to throw and lift girls up in the air,” Hollrigel added. “That, to me, is why cheer is considered a sport.”

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“We truly are one big family!!”

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , , on August 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Amanda Neitzel

Amanda Neitzel

Cheerleading has become the family business, and business is pretty dang good.

Following in the footsteps of older sister Maddy, who made an electric debut last year, Coupeville High School junior Amanda Neitzel is out to take the cheer world by storm this fall.

“I started because I saw my sister cheer and she would come home and tell me about how much fun she was having and how all the girls were so close,” Neitzel said. “I’ve always wanted to be part of a team.

“I love how all of us are all really close, we truly are one big family,” she added. “All the veterans are really helpful if you ask them for extra help on routines or cheers; they’re always there for you.”

Putting in hard work is a big part of being part of the Wolf cheer squad, something not always properly appreciated by those on the outside.

“We work really hard at every practice,” Neitzel said. “For our stunt groups our bases have to have strong enough legs and arms in order to get our flyers up in the air and keep them there.

“We work just as hard as any other sports team at our school.”

When she’s not slaving away at practice, Neitzel enjoys science class and loves Harry Potter, Iron Man and The Avengers (“I love anything Marvel”), while also harboring a semi-secret talent.

“I love to sing, but I’m really shy, so I don’t sing a lot in front of people.”

Those closest to her, friends and family, ease that shyness and make sure Neitzel feels appreciated and loved.

“My family and friends have helped to shape me who I am, they are all such amazing people and I’m thankful to have them all in my life,” she said. “Anytime I’m feeling down I have them to talk to and they always help put a smile on my face!

“I’m also pretty thankful for my best friend because she’s a lot like me; we are both huge goofballs and we make each other laugh a lot.”

Two women, though, stand as Neitzel’s closest companions, and she treasures every moment she has with them.

“My momma has always told me that I can do anything I put my mind to. She is my biggest supporter and she’s honestly the strongest person I know,” she said. “She always tells me how strong and smart I am and believes in me.

“My sister too; we may not always get along but Maddy’s my best friend and she’s always there for me and I’m always there for her.”

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