The Powell Panther Cheerleaders cheered their way to second place in a competition held in Cody on Feb. 17 .

Six teams competed in all and the Lady Panthers finished second. They performed a 2 ½ minute routine that included dance, stunts and cheering. They practiced the routine for six weeks and will soon perform it at the state cheer competition.

“It’s a really good routine,” senior cheerleader Mariah Phister says. “As long as we execute it (well), we have a good chance at placing.”

They learned the routine from Emily Schwahn, a former PHS cheerleader who now lives in Sheridan, WY. In only two days the cheerleaders had learned the intricate number.

“It took a while to learn,” explained cheerleader Gracie McLain. “Once we knew what we were doing, it wasn’t that hard to perform.”

The cheerleaders have had a fun and energetic season so far. Their squad consists of nine members including sophomores through seniors.

“I’ve had a lot of fun with the girls on the team,” McLain said. “I’ve created very close bonds with a few of them.”

They’ve worked together every day after school to prepare for their performance as well as practice routines for sports events at Powell High School. It’s fun to see them perform at the games, but for the competition they were able to put together all of their talents into one, spirited routine.

FLY ON THE WALL: PHS Cheer Squad puts in the hours

By Isabella Wambeke

Prowl reporter

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Fly on the Wall” is a PHS Prowl feature in which a reporter tells of the inner workings of a student organization. This is the first installment.

Whether it’s getting you rowdy or chanting the school song, the cheerleaders are there. Now that their state is drawing near, practices can get pretty interesting. Here is a rundown of what a cheer practice is like.

To begin their practice, as every athlete should, they stretch. As they stretch these girls get caught up on the latest news, because what better is there to do while stretching than have a little “girl talk”.

After the stretches are over, they hit the mats and get down to business. While some go through how to best improve their jumps, others practice tumbling, which requires a lot of practice and hard work. Although it seems like one will never get their kick or tumble right, when they finally do, cheers are up in the air. In cheerleading it is all about improvement and never being content with just great.

The cheerleaders then move onto their non-stunt routine. This consists of roll-offs, dance moves and cheers. Some of the things the cheerleaders worked on were spacing and sharp arm movements. After each time through the dance, the coaches tell each girl what they need to work on to make it better. The next time through the girls focus on those mistakes and work to fix them.

Next, it’s time to work on the stunt routine. This takes a lot of work because each girl has to be conscious of what she is doing in order to keep the stunts on count. If one part of the stunt doesn’t work out the girls learn to adjust in order to make it work. They learn as they go and try to fix their mistakes to the best of their ability.

To prepare for state these cheerleaders show teamwork and dedication. They have the eye of the tiger and a burning desire to win.