School spirit is alive and well in Covington thanks to 12 people who go to extra lengths to support the football program. Friday nights wouldn't be the same without the signs, the free footballs thrown to the crowd and the constant support the players receive as they try to achieve success on the field.
This year's squad consist of only one senior, Valerie Placeway. She, along with Ramsé Cavendar are the two captains and provide leadership for the younger girls. Also returning from last season are Jenny Thompson, Hollie Hitchcock and Ashley Manson.
New this year to the football cheerleading squad are Crystal Diltz, Chrisina Meredith, Kate McCord, Many Kuharik, Jillian Schmidt and Rachel Boggs. Crystal and Many have cheerleading experience at the high school level from cheering for boy's basketball last season.
Hours of preparation has went into preparing fo the upcoming season as evident by the late nights at the school working on routines over and over. Many times, the girls will be there "working" well after everyone else has went home for the evening. The hard work isn't noticed by the casual observer but the girls know very well the amount of time it takes to prepare.
Cheerleading Advisor, Gretchen Schmidt reiterated this fact. "The girls have been working really hard to come up with new ideas to get the crowd involved and pump up the team. We're looking forward to a great year."
As the Buccs football team goes to battle on Friday nights, the girls are there win or lose. Each win is their victory as well and each loss is their loss. The entire time, most eyes will be on the field except for the casual breaks in the action which provides the girls with a brief opportunity to gain the attention of the crowd. When that happens, they know how to get the growd on their feet and into the game.
