Cheerleading is a tough sport — for those of us who call it a sport — but who cheers for the cheerleaders? The Panguitch cheerleaders don’t care too much who cheers for them, but they, like any other athletes, have been working really hard to “give it their all.”
Meet the Team
This year, 2023-2024, Panguitch has 13 cheerleaders and three coaches on their team. They love their growing team and the coaches that push them to be their best.
The coaches are Cathy Woolsey, Ashley Mooney and Elexia Walter.
The Vigorous Longest Sports Season
Cheer is a year-long sport, and that can feel like a lot of work.
To understand the cheer season a little better, I corresponded with Vinny Hensley, a senior next year and the new head cheer captain. Vinny helped me get to get to know the Panguitch cheerleaders and their goals for this year.
The cheer season always begins in April or May with tryouts. And it’s a busy summer from there.
“As we approach next week,” Vinny told me, “we will attend a stunting safety course. In June, we will attend the United Spirit Association camp at Utah State University to increase our knowledge of dancing and stunting.” Then, “we will host our annual miniature cheer camp in July.”
Come the end of the summer, cheerleaders begin juggling baseball and volleyball games; pep assemblies; and bus decorating, along with their own practices. Eventually, the year culminates in some amazing halftime shows at basketball games, and often a cheer competition. By then the cheerleaders will have perfected the year’s stunts, dances, and tumbles.
And then it’s time for try-outs again. Because of the long season, good cheerleading takes real dedication.
“Our coaches expect us to push ourselves to be our best this year, as it is a year-round sport,” Vinny said. She added that their head coach, Cathy Woolsey, says she is “excited to watch us grow this year and to work hard and give it our all as we compete.”
Taking Pride in Their Team
But even though cheer is tough, the Panguitch cheerleaders are proud of their ability to grow and build good bonds between the team members.
“In the past year, we came together and built an incredible bond,” said Vinny. “We show an extreme amount of dedication to not only our sport but to our team. The team shows growth each week as we push ourselves to do our best.”
In the end the Bobcat cheerleaders take real pride in growing as a team. And that makes it a sport worth supporting.
“We appreciate the endless support we receive from our community as we continue to grow and showcase our talents,” said Vinny.
– by Abbie Call
Feature image caption: The Panguitch cheerleaders, pictured here after tryouts, are excited for another great year of unity and dedication. Courtesy Panguitch Cheerleaders.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking with the dog she’s getting soon — fingers crossed.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].