Starting the Night off Strong
As teammates, parents and siblings were taking their seat at the varsity basketball cheer banquet, varsity cheer coach, Ryan Kline, started off with a speech. He began by reminding everyone to reflect on this past season and think about all of their favorite memories and the amazing time they got to spend with each other. He then reminded all of the girls how proud he was of them and all of their accomplishments this year. “[My favorite part of the cheerleading season] was being able to watch the teams compete, win and do well,” Kline said. “We cheered for both girls’ basketball as well as the boys’ basketball and just watching them do their thing and being able to be a part of it and trying to drum up the school spirit while the games are going on.” As Kline’s speech was wrapping up, he thanked all the parents for supporting him and the team throughout this season and hoped that everyone will come back for year two.
Sticking Together
Junior Ava Duke was nervous for the 2023 cheer season because the team would have to overcome a lot of obstacles whether it was a new coach, a small team or even just re-adjusting to basketball cheer. “This year with a new coach and team we definitely engaged with the fans more and were able to have new opportunities,” Duke said. “We also grew as a team through making jokes while watching [the games] and getting invested. It definitely bonded us closer together.” Throughout the season there were many ups and downs but because the team was so determined and willing to push through, they had a great season and all became close friends.
Role Model
During the banquet Wednesday night, Kline awarded four girls with traditional Maclay sport awards. He gave the “Most Valuable Person” (MVP) award to junior Copeland Frazee because of her important role on the team and her leadership skills. “Winning [the] MVP [award] meant a lot to me because I put a lot of work into the team,” Frazee said. “I try my hardest to make sure I am entertaining the fans, as well as leading the team to do the same.” While Frazee sets a great example to the rest of her team while she is on the court, she also does the same thing in a classroom. Along with the MVP award Frazee was also given the Scholar Athlete award for maintaining a B or higher average throughout the whole season.
Senior Recognition
Once all of the awards had been given, Kline invited all three seniors up to the front of the stage. There they were recognized for their amazing leadership, hard work and dedication to the team and program. Knowing that this year was going to be a challenge with a new coach, these three seniors did not back down. “Working with a new coach was definitely a learning curve, but we honestly could not have asked for a better coach and year,” senior Sarah Grace Dodson said. “Both Coach Kline and the team worked really hard to make it a great year and the team became a close group of friends.” Excited with how well the team did, they are hopeful to continue growing it and making it more popular at Maclay.
That’s a Wrap
Senior Chari Beamer was awarded the “Coaches Award” Wednesday night at the varsity basketball and competition cheerleading banquet. After she accepted the award, the realization finally set in that she would never formally cheer at Maclay again and that her senior season was over. Shortly after that, the banquet came to an end with another speech from Coach Kline. As Kline wrapped up the night everyone began to realize that their 2023 basketball cheerleading season was officially over. As everyone begins to leave for the night, they leave thinking of all the memories they created that night and throughout the whole season.
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