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Archive for the ‘Cheer’ Category

Are you not excited?!?!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , on January 31, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Sylvia (John Fisken photos)

   Sylvia Hurlburt may not be in uniform (she was busy snapping photos of her own) but the cheerleader is always strong in this one. (John Fisken photos)

camilla

“You get up and cheer or I will come up there!!” Camilla Rische lays down the law.

Robin

Robin Cedillo’s energy could light up a medium-sized city by itself.

Jovanah

Jovanah Foote, strength and grace.

CHS cheer coach Cheridan Eck approves this message.

CHS cheer coach Cheridan Eck approves this message.

Cheerleaders have a special gene.

There is something deep inside them that fuels great passion and spirit and drives them to send those feelings out into the world.

Doubt it?

Take a gander at these five photos from Friday night’s Coupeville/Klahowya girls’ basketball game and be proven wrong.

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The spirit is strong in this one!!

Posted in Cheer, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , , on January 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Camilla Rische

Camilla Rische

There are rumors that, on the day of her birth, Camilla Rische’s first word was “rah” and not “wah.”

For, if a person can be born to be a cheerleader, surely she was.

Through rain or shine, sleet or howling wind, out on the football field or inside a cozy gym, Miss Rische is the very definition of “loud ‘n proud” come to life.

In more ways than one.

She is fiercely loyal to the Wolves, a vibrant, boisterous young woman whose voice rises above the din.

She’s not there on the sideline just to stand around. The girl has work to get done.

But she’s also fiercely loyal to her family, starting with younger brothers Grey Rische and Jared Helmstadter.

The first time I ever spoke to her was when I was talking to her grandmother in the stands before a basketball game.

We were discussing Jared, as I was about to write a story about his amazing journey from being a preemie to becoming a rampaging force of nature on the basketball court.

Camilla, rocking back and forth in her seat, suddenly leaned forward and, in a voice that carried the same weight as Marlon Brando in The Godfather, informed me of the correct spelling of Helmstadter.

“H-e-l-m-s-t-a-gets complicated here-d-t-e-r!”

Long pause, eyebrow cocked…

“So get it right!!”

Long pause, then an explosion of giggles as she sat back in her seat.

That is Camilla.

Full of life, irrepressible, joyous, ready to smack you upside the head, sweet smile intact, if you mess with her family.

She is one-of-a-kind and Wolf Nation has benefited greatly from her presence the past few years.

As she celebrates a birthday today, we want to wish her all the best. May your day shine as brightly as you do, Miss Rische.

And, if you notice, I spelled Helmstadter correctly. So, there’s that, too.

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Kiara has the Right Stuff!!

Posted in Cheer, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on January 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Kiara Mercedes

Kiara Mercedes

All cheerleaders are energetic and full of life.

If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be cheerleaders. It would be too painful.

But, every so often, one will emerge who shines a little (OK, a lot) brighter, who gets her yells to reach a little further, who seems to glow with cheer spirit at all times.

Such a young woman is Coupeville High School sophomore Kiara Mercedes, who celebrates a birthday today.

Younger sister of Wolf cheer captain Kylie Marie (also pretty dang outgoing herself), Kiara has been a vital part of the CHS cheer squad since day one.

As a freshman, she became the first 9th grader ever to be voted the Wolf Award by her teammates.

To top that for her second year on the sidelines, she got louder ‘n prouder (if that’s possible) and was pretty much a human sparkle machine during football games.

Kiara, like her sis, embraces being part of the cheer squad with fervor and there never seems to be a moment when she’s not enjoying herself out there.

And, if there is that moment, she hides it well. Never let them see you sweat, never let them know when you’re hurting.

But it goes beyond cheer.

She radiates a friendliness and warmth that can’t be faked and conducts herself with class and grace everywhere that you see her.

Her parents, Aaron and Trina Burdge, are raising four children who all seem whip-smart, well-adjusted, super-friendly and a lot of other adjectives.

Sincerely proud of their Mormon faith, but not overbearing about it, the family sets a strong example for all those around them.

Like most parents, the Burdges would probably would tell you they love all their children and don’t have a favorite.

So let’s say this.

With much respect to Kylie, who’s as awesome as they come, but is NOT celebrating a birthday today, on THIS day, Kiara gets our vote as the best of the bunch.

If most people are singles or doubles, she’s an out-of-the-park home run.

Happy birthday, Kiara. May your day be worthy of you.

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Bishop nimbly balances two worlds!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , on December 18, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Elizabeth Bishop out for as drive with one of her 4-H animals.

Elizabeth Bishop, out for a drive with some of her 4-H animals.

Elizabeth Bishop

In the gym as a cheerleader.

Cows or cheers, Elizabeth Bishop is your woman.

The Coupeville High School senior has worked the sidelines at football and basketball games for years, having started in junior cheer during her elementary school days.

It’s a sport she’s stayed loyal to through all four years as a Wolf, and she’s currently one of five girls carrying the torch for CHS cheer this winter.

“I enjoy cheering on the team, whether it be football or basketball,” Bishop said. “Also, I enjoy how the cheer team feels like a family.”

While Coupeville school officials designate cheer as an activity and not a sport, Bishop is firmly on the side of those who think that’s a bit short-sighted.

“I would tell them cheer is just as much a sport as any other sport,” she said. “I don’t see other sports teams like football or basketball doing stunts and lifting a team member up in a stunt formation.”

Away from the cheer life, Bishop, who is also in the National Honor Society, is equally adept in the world of livestock.

Hailing from a Central Whidbey family with a long farming tradition, she grew up around animals and has been very successful raising and showing them.

“My primary interests are my animals and 4-H, where is where my extra time goes,” Bishop said.

She enjoys her English and weight training classes and draw much of her inspiration from a very close family member.

“My mom has made a huge impact on my life,” Bishop said. “She’s always has been my personal cheerleader all through life, to help make me the person I am.”

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Cassidy Rydell dances to a new tune!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , , , , on December 16, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Cassidy Rydell

Cassidy Rydell

Cassidy Rydell has never stopped dancing, she’s just picked up a new style.

The Coupeville High School senior, a 13-year veteran of the world of ballet, has brought her dance moves into the world of cheerleading this year.

As a first-time member of the Wolf cheer squad, which is coached by former Seattle Sonics dancer Cheridan Eck, she’s been able to keep her love of dance going, even if she’s no longer wearing toe shoes.

“I wanted to keep doing something similar and cheer happened to be exactly what I was looking for,” Rydell said. “Being a former dancer, I love it when we have routines that involve any type of dancing; whenever we learn something new it creates a new challenge.”

And while CHS officials still want to call cheer an activity and not a sport, Rydell knows first-hand the sweat, blood and tears that go into being ready to perform.

“Try being able to do the splits and kick sky high,” she said. “Can the football players do it? No.

“It’s the same when people say that dancing isn’t a sport,” Rydell added. “They obviously haven’t seen the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.”

As she plans her future, she has goals of competing in track for the Wolves this spring and majoring in Communications in college.

Rydell is a member of the National Honor Society and picks English as her favorite class.

While she’s skilled in the classroom, her talents stretch out far beyond taking tests.

“I play piano and I love it!,” Rydell said. “I also enjoy singing, writing and, of course, dancing.”

Music is a huge part of her life, whether it’s her own performances or listening to her favorite bands, which include “my two all-time favorite bands at the moment, Owl City and OneRepublic.”

Through everything, she counts a close family member as her biggest fan and confidant, knowing that she’ll always be there to support her in whatever endeavors she picks up.

“My mom has had a HUGE impact on my life, she is the main reason I am who I am today,” Rydell said. “She is my best friend and I can tell her everything!”

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