RallyNorth.net

Old and new

Tuesday, October, 30 By Mike Stucka
Staff writer

The Swampscott cheerleaders are working with an unusual mix of new and old they hope will propel them to success.

Nearly all of the cheerleaders have been working together since they were little kids, said Katelyn Henry, a co-coach of the team.

At the same time, the team is a bit bigger and has four freshman cheerleaders. They're all working with a new school and a new routine. Even the coaches | Cynthia DiChirico and Henry | are a mix of old and new. They're new to coaching the team, but both cheered on Big Blue until they graduated in 2001.

"The girls have really put in a tremendous amount of effort just getting used to us and getting used to a bigger team, because they haven't had this many girls in the past," Henry said.

Competition, including invitationals in late October, may give the team a chance to prove itself.

"Last year, we were Northeast Conference champs," Henry said. "We're hoping to do that this year | make it two years in a row | and go on to regionals and do what we didn't do last year (there), which is win."

In their first competition, the Oct. 18 Concord Carlisle Invitational, they came home with a first-place award in Division 3 and 4.

The team is also being presented with a challenging but impressive new routine.

"I'm really confident that they can go in and pull off a really difficult routine. If they can perfect it, they'll go very far with it," Henry said. "There's three minutes absolutely jam-packed with everything you'd want to see in a cheerleading routine."

The mix of new and old may benefit the cheerleaders well. Many have come through a strong system together, and the cheerleaders are creating more teamwork.

"They're doing it well and they're doing it together," Henry said.