By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
The Elkhorn Area High School cheerleading squad earned invitations to two national competitions at the Amp It Up cheerleading competition Nov. 9 at the Williams Center at UW-Whitewater.
The Elks won the Small Coed Division and also won the School Division. The Small Coed Division is for schools who field a squad with two to four boys and fewer than 20 people. The School Division is for all schools in competition.
The Elks earned invitations to national competitions in Chicago and in Minneapolis after winning the small coed division and school division.
“I was pretty impressed for two weeks worth of work,” Elks coach Kerry Greenwald said. “We just got our big guys back. We had to wait to get two of our guys back from football season.”
The Elks competition season does not being in earnest until football season concludes.
“Our goal during a football game is to No. 1, take care of the boys,” Greenwald said. “Our focus is not on ourselves, but on them.
Second in our focus is the crowd – making sure the crowd responds to what goes on in an appropriate manner.”
Greenwald said the team does one routine during the football season, and performs during Homecoming. The Elks focus on sideline stunts and cheering. Once football season concludes the Elks’ cheerleading squad focuses on its competition season.
“It goes from sideline to sport, more or less,” Greenwald said. “The focus is on us the entire time.”
In the time since the end of the football season the Elks’ cheerleading squad broke down their routine and scrutinized every piece.
“When we get into competition season, it’s breaking everything down, step by step, movement by movement,” Greenwald said. “We have two and a half minutes. You don’t get a second chance.”
Greenwald said success hinges on precision and attention to detail.
The Elks next competition is Dec. 6 in the UCA Regionals at the Frontier Airlines Center in Milwaukee.
