Southport High School cheerleaders fall short at prelims after stunt mishap and last minute team shortage.

Demonstrating a jump, junior Hollynd Givens shows off her cheer skills. Givens has even apart of cheer since middle school. “I was in seventh grade when I started cheer,” she said.

The gymnasium during prelims for State at Pendleton Heights was loud and chaotic, causing extreme nerves for junior Hollynd Givens. Southport High School had to make a last minute adjustments to their team, losing three of their nine members due to injuries. “We had three practices to basically change the entire routine and I was really nervous because of that,” she said.

Although Givens had prepared as much as possible, nerves had gotten the best of her. “I face planted in the middle of the routine,” Givens said. “I was doing a round off back handspring back tuck and it was in the back tuck where I didn’t set high enough and I landed on my face.” In order to advance to State, teams had to place within the top ten. Falling short and placing in 11th place, Southport High School ended their season on a low note. “We were actually a few points off from the team that placed tenth,” Givens said. “it was probably just being sloppy and stunts not hitting due to a stressful week of practice before camp.”

With a young team, Givens hopes to improve on her leadership skills. “This year I’m the oldest on the team, and I feel like it’s up to me to help out the younger girls,” she said. Hopefully I will be able to encourage them to never give up because it’s really important.