A little girl often dreams of being a high school cheerleader. They may watch girls getting to dress in cute outfits and perform fun routines in the movies and seek that futurefor themselves. Some take this aspiration to middle school but still wonder what it is like to beout there on a big team learning and performing together. This year, the Miami Palmetto Senior High cheer team believed that those girls should wonder no more and get to experience it.
Oct. 3 marked the first-ever Panther Cheerleader for a Day Camp. Girls striving to be future MPSH cheerleaders learned dances and routines and received the chance to perform alongside the current MPSH cheerleaders for the day. They experienced team bonding and weretaught different skills and routines.“The cheer camp is not for our team, it is to help fundraise for our team and it is ourcurrent cheerleaders teaching… incoming transfers, anyone that is interested in the program, incoming middle schoolers that are interested in coming to Palmetto, what it is like to be a panther cheerleader for a day,” varsity cheer coach Nina Pozo said.
The day included seven hours of skill building with about 50-60 incoming Panthers.
“Personally, I love the pep-rally Panther for a Day, so I think it is a little bit more intimate to actually get to meet the kids that are interested in becoming one,” junior and varsity cheerleader Emma Albregts said.
Albregts continued to mention how she loved to give the girls an unforgettable high school experience and show them what it is like to be an MPSH cheerleader instead of watching from an attendance point of view.
Having attended this camp, the girls invited everyone from the inexperienced to the most experienced cheerleaders. Current Ammons middle school cheerleader Emma Zenni attended the camp. She commented on their hospitality and how their warmth grew her love for cheer. Zenni enjoys doing cheer camps and will continue to attend them to learn more.
“I went for the experience, and it showed me what my strengths are and how I can work on my weaknesses,” Zenni said.
The camp had many benefits and created many bonds between the girls, which signifies a promising future for the team.
