As the sweat and determination showed on their faces, the motivation to win pulled through when the Varisty cheer team received the gold at the MAC Crossover competition.

    “I was happy when we won because we gave a good first impression,” senior base Olivia Valley said. “We expected to get second or first and we started off on the right foot.”

    The cheer team competed against various high schools: New Haven, Romeo, Chippewa, Utica and Stevenson.

“We knew that when it came down to the end, Stevenson or us was going to win,” Valley said.

They prepared all of sideline season and began practicing one month before the competition. Practice was Mon. through Sat. and sometimes Sunday for two and a half hours each. They worked out for the first half hour and worked on their routines for the rest.

“The practicing was a lot,” Valley said, “but all of it had really paid off in the end.”