La Conner cheer squad can be game changers

The games haven’t begun, but one La Conner High team has already made its point.

And quite effectively, at that.

The school’s cheer squad is ready — more than ready, actually — to work the sidelines this fall and winter.

The key word here is work.

This, after a busy, rather than lazy, summer in which La Conner cheerleaders scored points with judges during fast-paced training sessions on the Central Washington University campus.

Two team members — captain Zanetta Cayou and Emma Lee — earned All-America nominations at the week-long Ellensburg camp, while the entire squad was cited for excellent work spotting and performing stunts.

“I was very proud of how well they worked together at camp,” longtime La Conner cheer coach Theresa James said last week.

Cayou was recipient of a rare Leadership “Caught You” Award, said James.

“Those,” she explained, “are given to individuals caught going above and beyond their expected leadership duties.

Lee, a Lady Braves track standout, was recognized for her superior jumps.

The La Conner team, composed in addition to Cayou and Lee of Abbey Harper, Elizabeth Ferrara, Hailey Azure, Kahneesha Casey, Sarah McCormack, Sage Burgmeier, Sofie Thulen, and Tsedenya Hasenbalg, was consistently impressive during formal camp evaluations, James said.

Judges presented La Conner with two Outstanding awards, a pair of Excellent awards, one Superior award, and a spirit stick.

Receiving the Gatorade Hydration Award was also among the La Conner squad’s camp highlights.

That honor garnered James’ and co-coach Carly Johnson’s charges a large cooler filled with Gatorade supplies and cups.

They also left camp with an elite Stunt S.A.F.E. Award.

All that plus a slew of great memories.

One, in particular, stands out.

“Our squad,” said James, “adopted the Wahluke Warrior mascot for the week because he came to camp by himself. Our squad was very welcoming and took him in as one of our own.”

What struck James and Johnson most, though, was the team’s work ethic.

“They started at seven o’clock every morning and went until lights out at 11 o’clock at night,” James noted. “It can be very stressful, and emotions can run high.”

But La Conner cheerleaders are used to heavy lifting, said James. Their workload, she stressed, goes well beyond firing up crowds at games and pep rallies.

“They work in Leadership class, decorate the school, create locker signs for all sports in their cheer season, volunteer at school events, host pre-game dinners for the football team, help with junior cheer camp, volunteer at the Tulip Festival Art Reveal, handout awards at track meets, and perform at special events,” James said.

One of those special events is the annual Skagit County Fair, where La Conner cheerleaders are scheduled to appear tomorrow.

A demanding schedule, for sure.

Yet, one the La Conner team, as one might expect, accepts cheerfully.