Two Wolfson cheerleaders named All American, cheer team receives state recognition
School may have just begun, but the Samuel Wolfson School for Advanced Studies and Leadership’s varsity cheerleading squad has already begun to pile on the laurels, including having two of its members named as UCA All Americans.
During the Universal Cheerleading Association competition comprised of 15 high school varsity teams from Florida in mid-July, the Wolfpack’s cheerleading team took home second place against four competitors in the Varsity Medium Squad division and was recognized as the Most Improved Varsity Squad among all competitors.
In individual competition, two from Wolfson – Laci Mickler and Co-Captain Alea Farah both of San Marco, were named UCA All American and have been invited to perform at special events throughout the United States and overseas, including a stint in London, England, during the Christmas holidays.
A young team, Wolfson boasts no seniors, and had not attended cheer camp nor competed since 2004. “This is a whole new direction for the school that we are excited about,” said Assistant Coach Joy Hicks of San Marco.
Cheering from the Wolfpack this year are five juniors, two sophomores, and 10 freshmen, coached by Julie Humphreys, Wolfson’s assistant principal, who took over as head of the team this year. Joining Hicks as an assistant coach is Nicol Mickler of San Marco. Most of the girls on the team hail from the San Marco area and previously attended Hendricks Avenue Elementary and Julia Landon College Preparatory School, said Hicks. This year Farah and Bryce Johnson are serving as co-captains.
“The new coaching staff has been working with the girls all summer to revamp the program with new cheers, stunts and dances,” said Hicks. “They are planning to begin choreography in October in preparation for competition season, and the squad will compete in four competitions by year end.”
During the year, each Wolfson cheerleader will perform a service project at least once a quarter in the San Marco area. Some of the projects will include the Salvation Army Red Kettle drive, “Reading with the Stars” night at Hendricks Avenue Elementary, or Wolfson Trick or Treat neighborhood night.
Just before school started, the cheer squad hosted a three-day Wolfpack Mini Cub Camp for 22 young cheerleaders, most of whom are students at Hendricks Avenue Elementary and Landon Middle School. The camp, which ran from July 31 to Aug. 2, was a fundraiser for the Wolfson cheer team and money raised will be spent on stunting mats used during games and competition practice.
During the camp, which was broken into age groups, the girls learned two cheers, two dances, performed jump conditioning and learned how to do jumps as they worked on stunts. On the final day, an entire routine was put together comprised of the new skills, including a pyramid, said Hicks, noting each girl received a T-shirt, bow, and pom poms and a chance to perform during halftime at Wolfson’s Home football opener Aug. 16.
Later this year, the Wolfson cheerleaders plan to hold one-day camps after school at both HAE and Landon Middle School. “This will continue to build relationships with both schools and Wolfson,” Hicks said. “For the girls that return, it will further develop their skills. For middle schoolers, it will prepare them for trying out for their high school squads in the future.”
At the end of the camp, two of the campers, Cheyenne Rodriguez and Elle Dulaney, both of San Marco, presented the cheer squad with a poster to thank them for holding the camp.
“We received a lot of positive feedback regarding the camp,” said Hicks. “One mom sent us an email saying, ‘They have their eyes on becoming Wolfson cheerleaders, even though one girl is only in sixth grade and the other is in fifth.’”
By Marcia Hodgson
Resident Community News
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