Erwin High School Warriors’ Cheerleading: For the Win
All photos courtesy of“ Lockwood Media”
The Erwin High School Warriors have long been recognized for their excellence in cheerleading.
In the past 13 years of competing for the state title, the team has won 11 championships and two“ runner-up” designations – a staggering accomplishment and a source of great pride for the school community.
For 10 of those 13 years, the team was led by Coach Kim Ponder, who rejoined Erwin for the 2015 season after a short time away. With 22 young athletes eager to bring home another state title, the team dedicated themselves to the task at hand. Not only did they win the state title in their division( Large Varsity NT D1), they placed third out of 145 teams overall, missing first overall by only 3 points.
“ You have to out-work every other team there,” Ponder said about competition.“ The physical will usually come if the mental attitude is strong. Weight training, mental toughness, attention to detail, and a champion attitude are key focuses of a great team.”
Success in cheerleading takes a special kind of studentathlete. They train and compete fiercely, all the while balancing academics and their regular cheering schedules for football and basketball seasons, pep rallies, homecoming, spirit week, and half-time routines. On top of all of this, the girls give back to the community through regular volunteering.
This season, the team and coaching staff are grateful for the ongoing support of the community, parents, booster club, and the many individuals who have helped them succeed, including Lauren Boggs, Mike Sexton and Dr. Brown, Erwin High’ s Principal.
Looking forward, the talented team has much to be excited about.
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“ The future looks very bright. I’ m excited to watch young eager girls develop into mature equipped young ladies ready to take on the world,” adds Ponder.“ That’ s why I do it”.