Varsity cheerleading is taking the floor again today. Their first competition will be at Belvedere North High School.

The point system for cheerleading works differently than for other sports. There are 10 categories and all of them are scored out of 10 points. The categories include voices, jumps, stunts, pyramids and many more.

The girls and guys come in every day to practice and run through their routine. They stretch and pick some parts from their routine. They are doing a lot more running. To prepare for these competitions they will practice their routine. “We also do a showcase performance the night before our first competition,” said varsity coach Danielle Damato. She added that it will prepare them for the actual competition day.

The night before, the girls and guys will go over to one of cheerleader’s house for a pasta party, where they will eat together and do their hair.

With 23 cheerleaders on varsity and 21 on JV, the team looks strong. In the past EG cheerleading has had a very strong team, winning state four times in row.

For this year Damato said, “Every year and every team is different. We have a very strong team this year and can only hope that our strength, dedication, and drive will show through when we perform at our first competition.” The JV team competed December 6 at Barrington.