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Posts Tagged ‘Cheer’

Throwback Thursday: Birth of the smile!!

Posted in Cheer, Horse sports, Throwback Thursday, Track, tagged , , , , on August 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Sylvia Hurlburt (center) is not quite 100% sure about this whole horse thing.

Sylvia Hurlburt (center) is not quite 100% sure about this whole horse thing.

She's a wee bit more confident these days.

She’s a wee bit more confident these days.

Spreading joy on a trip to Mexico with her church youth group.

Spreading joy on a trip to Mexico with her church youth group.

Sylvia Hurlburt is a bright, shining star.

Whether operating on the track oval, as a Wolf cheerleader, or as a ballet dancer, the Coupeville High School junior excels at about a billion and a half things.

Plus, she does most of it while sportin’ a mega-watt smile of epic joy.

But there were a few moments, early on, when the smile was just barely beginning to creep out around the edges.

One such sliver of time is depicted in the first photo above, which captures Miss Hurlburt when she was still Lil’ Miss Hurlburt.

You can see the smile coming, but there’s a wee bit of “what was I thinking getting up here in the first place” also on her face.

No worries. The smile won out in the end.

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Maddy Neitzel is Fired Up!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , on August 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Maddy Neitzel

Maddy Neitzel

A new high school sports year approaches and the Coupeville High School cheer squad is hard at work.

To get you ready, we present a series of features on Wolf cheerleaders, with the headline to each article paying tribute to 2009’s “Fired Up!,” the best cheerleader movie ever made.

Yeah, you heard me the first time, “Bring it On.” I said it and I meant it.

Maddy Neitzel is setting off on a new adventure.

The CHS junior joined the Wolf cheer squad this season looking for a new way to express herself.

“I’ve always wanted to cheer but I’ve been too shy to actually join,” Neitzel said. “I decided that I would try it out so I could meet and get to know some more people and help me to come out of my shell a little and be more open.

“I also wanted to be more involved in my school.”

While it’s a big transition, Neitzel has felt welcomed by her new teammates from the very start.

“I enjoy how the cheer team is supportive and willing to help each other,” she said. “It’s like we’re a family; everyone has each other’s backs.”

Cheer is the first sport Neitzel has gone out for at CHS, and the sport’s mix of hard work and skill should make others see it as just that — a sport.

“I would tell them to come to one of our practices and see how active we truly are!,” she said. “Also, we are a strong team, and teamwork is a huge part of most sports.”

As she steps into a new arena, Neitzel continues to draw huge support from those who have always been there for her — her family and friends. One who stands out above the crowd is her mother.

“I’m glad that I have those special people in my life to help me pull through when I’m struggling,” Neitzel said. “My mom is the strongest woman I know and always believes I can do whatever I set my mind to and pushes me to reach for the stars.

“I am truly grateful she is a part of my life.”

Neitzel spends a fair amount of her free time with her friends and gets great enjoyment from the arts.

A big fan of hip hop, she rattles off Lana Del Ray, Chris Brown, Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea as favorite artists, and is quick to emulate their work.

“I LOVE to dance and sing, even though I may not have the best voice!,” Neitzel said with a laugh.

Her interests are diverse, ranging from fashion and clothes (“So I love to shop!”) to photography, movies (“Mean Girls,” Bridesmaids” and “The Wedding Singer” are favorites) and her art classes.

“My favorite class is probably art because I get to fully express who I am in the pieces and projects I create,” Neitzel said.

In the end, though, it all comes back around to her family and friends.

All of the parts of her busy life help to shape her into the bright, personable young woman she is, but their examples inspire her.

“I can talk to any of them about anything and they give me great advice,” Neitzel said. “Humor and laughter are a huge part of who I am and no one makes me laugh harder than my best friend and so I am so thankful I have her for that reason!

“I also really enjoy my close friend’s and my mom’s company because I get along with them the best out of all the people I’ve met throughout my life so far,” she said. “I aspire to be like them because they are awesome people!”

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Jovanah Foote is Fired Up!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , on August 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Jovanah Foote

Jovanah Foote

Foote and Sylvia Hurlburt (John Fisken photo)

Foote and Sylvia Hurlburt (John Fisken photo)

A new high school sports year approaches and the Coupeville High School cheer squad is hard at work.

To get you ready, we present a series of features on Wolf cheerleaders, with the headline to each article paying tribute to 2009’s “Fired Up!,” the best cheerleader movie ever made.

Yeah, you heard me the first time, “Bring it On.” I said it and I meant it.

Sylvia Hurlburt is gonna be so happy.

Her partner in crime on the CHS cheer squad, fellow junior Jovanah Foote, is finally getting her moment in the spotlight, with a little coaxing from Hurlburt.

And Foote deserves it.

A whip-smart, athletic young woman, she’s been toiling in the cheer trenches for years, having started in junior cheer when she was at Coupeville Elementary.

Now she’s one of the ones out front, leading the way for the Wolves and helping teach the next generation of cheerleaders when they work with the CES girls.

Foote brings years of gymnastic experience to the floor with her when she cheers and she’s a two-season member of the Wolf squad, working hard through both football and basketball season.

“You have to be strong and athletic to be a cheerleader,” Foote said. “It’s the same with football, volleyball, basketball and any other sport.

“We throw girls up in the air and have to catch them; that takes a lot of strength, otherwise we’ll drop them,” she added. “Cheerleading takes up a lot of time, energy and practice, just like any other sport, so it should be considered a sport.”

An avid reader, she enjoys spending time with her friends, whether in the cheer arena or outside of it.

“What I enjoy most about cheer is how well the team gets along,” Foote said. “And the stunting and the football games — that’s the best part!”

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Allison Dickson is Fired Up!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , on August 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Allison Dickson

Allison Dickson

A new high school sports year approaches and the Coupeville High School cheer squad is hard at work.

To get you ready, we present a series of features on Wolf cheerleaders, with the headline to each article paying tribute to 2009’s “Fired Up!,” the best cheerleader movie ever made.

Yeah, you heard me the first time, “Bring it On.” I said it and I meant it.

Allison Dickson does not fear hard work. In fact, she embraces it.

The CHS junior, who is entering her second season as a member of the Wolf cheer squad, knows her sport requires hours of toil and sweat, work often under-appreciated by those who think cheer is just standing on a sideline waving pom-poms.

“Cheer takes hard work,” Dickson said. “We have to practice, just like any other sport, we have to work as a team, just like any other sport, we have to be strong and we have to work hard, just like any other sport.”

She’s joined on the squad by younger sister Lainey, and family has always been an important part of her life.

“My family always supports me,” Dickson said. “They help me to be confident in myself, to know that I can do hard things.

“They help me to be the best I can be!”

When she’s not cheering, Dickson can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of a piano (she’s been playing more more than a decade).

She also participates in Big Brothers Big Sisters, is a member of the National Honor Society, and, like her siblings, played soccer when she was younger.

“I like all my classes, but my favorite last year was weight training,” Dickson said. “I like spending time with family and friends, church, eating food, and I like photography.”

And, while there is a lot of work involved in cheer, in the end, it comes down to joy for Dickson.

“I thought it might be something I would enjoy,” she said. “I enjoy getting people excited and cheering people on.”

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Jessica Bester is Fired Up!!

Posted in Cheer, tagged , , , , on August 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Jessica Bester

Jessica Bester

A new high school sports year approaches and the Coupeville High School cheer squad is hard at work.

To get you ready, we present a series of features on Wolf cheerleaders, with the headline to each article paying tribute to 2009’s “Fired Up!,” the best cheerleader movie ever made.

Yeah, you heard me the first time, “Bring it On.” I said it and I meant it.

Jessica Bester is new to CHS, but she already has at least one connection to her new teammates on the Wolf cheer squad.

Senior Ciera St Onge, a Wolf veteran, is Bester’s cousin and helped recruit the freshman to make the jump from youth cheer programs in Oak Harbor to sporting the red and black.

“Ciera was a big reason why I started high school cheer,” Bester said. “The reason I started was because I thought it would be fun and a good way to make friends.”

As the Wolves prepare for the football season ahead, the multi-sport athlete (she’s played basketball and softball) has found her new team to be a welcoming one.

“I enjoy how close you get with the girls,” Bester said. “You’re not just teammates, you’re a family.”

A fan of the movie “Finding Nemo,” she enjoys her history and science classes and draws on her family and friends for support.

“My mom, she’s always been a really big supporter in what I do,” Bester said. “When I felt like quitting she gave me all the reason to stay and thrive.”

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