Hi, my name is Madison Murphy and I’ve cheered throughout middle school and now this is my second year cheering for the varsity team at Elmwood Park High School! This year at EPHS, the cheer team has accomplished tons of skills already in the beginning of the season. This article is to introduce you all to the varsity team!

Meet the Team

For this 24-25 season, the team has 17 cheerleaders!

The freshmen are Ava Losurdo and Molly Brown. The sophomores are Serena Braglia, Sophia Casella, Jade Ponce, Madison Murphy, Madison Ranallo, and Willow Jenkins. The seniors are Anastasiya Bednarchuk, Isabella Braglia, Jessari Alanis, Matthew McClain, Mia Lockwood, Mya Calderon, Olivia Shipinski, Sibora Tace, and Zalise Ramos.

Below, find an interview with one cheerleader from each grade!

About the Positions

In cheerleading there are four positions to make a stunt group. There are two bases on each side, a main base and a side base; a backspot; and a flyer. A flyer in cheerleading is the person who is being lifted up into the air during stunts. They perform poses in the air while being held up by their bases. A main base is the cheerleader on the right side who is responsible for providing most of the support of the flyer during stunts while holding their foot. A side base is the cheerleader on the left who helps the flyer balance, working together with the main base to ensure that the flyer is safe in the air. A backspot is the person in the back who helps with lifting the flyer and keeping them steady by holding their ankles and sometimes their thighs for pyramids. Sometimes in cheerleading there are frontspots for more support and more power to get the flyer up. Now here are the cheerleaders’ positions for this year’s season!

Flyers: Ava Losurdo, Molly Brown, and Willow Jenkins 

Main Bases: Isabella Braglia,Olivia Shipinski, and Serena Braglia

Side Bases: Sophia Casella, Madison Murphy, and Mya Calderon

Backspots: Anastasiya Bednarchuk, Jade Ponce, Matthew McClain, and Zalise Ramos

Frontspots: Jessari Alanis, Madison Ranallo, Mia Lockwood, and Sibora Tace

Molly Brown

 “What grade are you?”

“I am in 9th grade, freshman.”

 “What’s your favorite thing about the cheer team?”

“My favorite thing about cheer is that the whole team is nice and supportive.”

 “How do you stay motivated during a tough practice?”

“In a hard practice I just remind myself that I can do it and keep going.”

Sophia Casella

“What grade are you?” 

“I’m currently a sophomore at EPHS.” 

“Can you share a memorable moment during your time on the cheer team?”

“A memorable moment I have experienced while being on the cheer team was sectionals last year. Although our team didn’t end up making it to state, it was still such a great experience and definitely something I will never forget. The excitement of being on the mat and getting to perform in front of so many people is a feeling that cannot be beat and just thinking about it makes me so excited for competition season this year.”

“Do you like our Homecoming routine this year?”

“I do really like and enjoy our new Homecoming routine this year, and I think that it has improved very much from last year’s Homecoming routine. We have added much more difficult skills and the routine itself seems a lot more entertaining.”

Olivia Shipinski

“What grade are you?”

“I’m a senior.”

“How long have you been cheering?”

I’ve been cheering since my freshman year, so 4 years.”

“What was your favorite cheer routine you’ve done?”

“My favorite cheer routine I’ve done was probably the one from freshman year competition season. We had motions that made great visuals and our routine was very clean. We also scored really well throughout the season with that routine.”

Coach Corso

“What inspired you to be a cheer coach?”

“It’s a sport that I have done for over half of my life and have burned into my memory from rules, technique, skills and leadership. I was very upset after high school that I wasn’t able to participate in cheer while maintaining and adapting to my new adult life. I stopped to focus but still conditioned my body so I would never lose my skills and flexibility…until I was offered an assistant cheer coach position over a year ago after volunteering my free time to the school’s cheer events. Physically I am still able to do the things I could do way back when I was a high school cheerleader. It’s important to be a physical coach and to always be on your feet and always be ready to jump in and show them the correct way to do a skill. I find it safer that way. I understand the sport on a personal level as well. It is where I met my best friend/maid of honor/godmother of my first child. I understand the importance of building a relationship/friendship/trust with your team in such a tight knit sport because it’s all I’ve grown up to witness and participate in. Being a coach I have way more leadership opportunities then I did when I was a captain in high school and I’m learning the way outside of the athlete’s eyes that I was so used to. It’s the same as me teaching the cheerleaders a new skill. We are all learning something new about this sport in some way or another but we all have one trajectory and that is to succeed together as a team.” 

Conclusion

In conclusion, cheerleading is a very tough sport, and the EPHS cheer team is more than just a group of athletes. It’s about how all of us are very passionate about cheer! We look forward to gaining great skills and having amazing performances! Come watch the varsity cheer team for our last three games at the EPHS stadium!

Work Cited

• (L. Corso, personal interview, September 4th 2024)
• (M. Brown, personal interview, September 4th 2024)
• (O. Shipinski, personal interview, September 4th 2024)
• (S. Casella, personal interview, September 4th 2024)