Niwot cheer has high expectations heading into state and beyond

Despite still being a "growing" team, the Niwot High School cheer team and head coach Christina Ayers are looking forward to what she expects to be a competitive showing at the state spirit championships.

"We're fighting for finals this year," Ayers said. "We have a show, we have the girls that are fighting for it and ready for it. I think it's attainable - it's whether or not we get out there on the floor and we do what we know we can do."

The Cougars, who were unable to compete in the Blast Spirit Championships on Nov. 19 due to a couple of girls being ill, now have about two weeks to prepare for the Class 4A cheer championships on Dec. 9. Last year, they placed fourth overall at state and they'd like to build on that result in 2022.

Makenna Noterman and Fernanda Laguna-Perez have both been key components this season, but Ayers' hope is that all of her girls can develop into leaders. Therefore, instead of having more traditional captains, Niwot has implemented a leadership team.

Another focus for Ayers is for her team to continue earning respect within the school. She said that while students recognize cheerleading as a staple on the sideline at football games, not many understand the competitive nature of the sport. With a strong performance at state and an upcoming opportunity to compete at nationals in February, the Cougars would like to change those perceptions.

"Everybody goes to a football game, they go to soccer games, but nobody really knows what cheerleading does except on the sidelines," Ayers said. "This is kind of their chance to show the school, 'no, we're competitive too.'"

Although Niwot has qualified for nationals every year since Ayers took over coaching the program in 2017, the team has never made the trip to compete. That is set to change in February with Niwot making the trip to California for the event.

"Since COVID, we've had a few girls that have stuck around, they're juniors and seniors this year, and it's just been the talk," Ayers said. "It's been a goal for a couple of years, it's what they've been aiming for. When we got this new team together, it was just 'girls: this is what's happening, this is what we're fighting for, this is what we're headed towards, this is our goal for this year.'"

First, though, comes state.

"Right after Thanksgiving, we have two weeks of daily practices, daily run-throughs, breaking that up into some little fun games and whatnot," Ayers said. "Basically, it's running through, it's cleaning, it's making sure that we understand counts and changing what we necessarily need to for that show."