If you attend varsity sports or pep rallies at SCCS, you will notice a group of spirited young cheerleaders helping support the older cheerleaders. These young school spirit ambassadors are the Elementary Cheer squad.
“We have eight talented, hard-working girls, grades 4 through 6 on our elementary cheer squad this year,” shared Cathy Molloy, cheer coach. “They are a great support to the varsity cheerleaders at games. Elementary cheer is a vital part of cheer at SCCS because it is a training ground for the next level.”
In addition to supporting the varsity cheerleaders, elementary cheer participates at pep rallies and multiple events. These young athletes practice every week on Monday after school from 3-4:30 pm. This year’s team is comprised mostly of 4th graders.
“I started coaching in the 90s back in New Mexico with my husband Kevin,” continued Cathy. “He and I coached a high school co-ed team. We did that for about four years. When our middle daughter came to SCCS, she wanted to join cheer, so we offered to help out as the coach needed. We helped out for the next two years as stunting coaches and really enjoyed getting back into it. I took over as head coach last school year.”
Cathy is passionate about building and strengthening school spirit and girls starting cheerleading young if they have an interest.
“It’s so important to build school spirit when kids are young,” shared Cathy. “At SCCS, it’s easy to have school spirit because it’s a small school and everyone is involved in everything, so teaching kids to be excited and supportive of their classmates in sports and other activities should come pretty easy. The cheerleaders are there to lead and be good examples of school spirit.”
For students interested in joining cheer in the future, there is an upcoming Cheer Clinic for grades Kindergarten through 6th on Saturday, February 8. Students will learn cheers, jumps, and a dance routine to perform at a basketball game.
“The clinic is a great way for girls to get a taste of cheerleading to see if they might like to join the team eventually,” continued Cathy. “It helps girls who don’t have any cheer experience to learn a few fundamentals, so when they join cheer, they are better prepared. But also, the clinic is great for someone who just wants to have fun, perform, or just be part of a team for a day. It’s just a great experience!”
For more information or to sign up for the Cheer Clinic, email [email protected]