Stunt Team: Stacking Up a Solid Season

By Melisa Adatepe, Staff Writer

// The Acalanes stunt team (0-6 overall) started their season off hosting Concord and Miramonte on March 8. While the Dons nailed their routines during their debut, they narrowly lost to Miramonte.

   “With Miramonte, it was pretty close but with Concord, it wasn’t. They were a lot better than we are, so we lost,” senior Grace Chehlaoui said. 

   The stunt team has welcomed two new coaches this season, Faith McLeod and Arianna Engelhaupt; both have received praise from the group for their distinct teaching styles.

   “We have two new coaches actually, Coach Faith and Coach Ari. They have been amazing working on stunting with us and we’ve gotten so much better since we’ve had them as our coaches,” Chehlaoui said. 

   Unfortunately, some stunt team members suffered injuries before their first match, which prompted the coaches to further encourage safety during practices and competitions.

    “Being educated on what the stunt entails [is the most important aspect of injury prevention]. I think a lot of injuries come from fear and just kind of not knowing how to do it or how to catch a girl that’s coming down so being educated on how we do things is really important,” McLeod said.

   Members of the stunt team emphasized the need to hone in on essential stunt fundamentals.

   “I would say being more tight and uniform as a team and just improving our skills [would improve the performance from Friday’s match],” junior Kristina Thompson said. 

   Coaches believe that while the girls landed all their routines, their discipline on the mat can be further refined. 

   “Being sharp in their motions [are skills we’re working on] because, yes, we hit everything but I think to really get those points when we’re going against really good teams like that [Miramonte and Concord] or any team, is to be sharp,” Engelhaupt said. 

      The team had another doubleheader on March 22 against Alhambra and Clayton Valley Charter. The Dons were not able to defeat either of the two schools, but are gradually improving upon the nitty gritty aspects of cheer, such as sharpness and stamina, to increase the flow of the routines.

   “Practicing more hours, building up our endurance [would help with improving our skills],” Thompson said. 

   Moving forward, the team is putting in effort to fulfill the group’s expectations for themselves and correct past mistakes.

    “We just have to be sharper, we have to be cleaner, just add that little bit of extra edge,” McLeod said.