The Fair Grove Junior Cheer Camp is an annual event where students pre-k through sixth grade learn the fundamentals of cheerleading. The camp provides a hands-on experience where students work with high school cheerleaders on different skills.
The camp is structured over two days where the young cheerleaders are taught everything they need to know for their upcoming performance. “To prepare for the performance we have two days of camp where we teach the junior cheerleaders the material.” shared Avary Austin (10).
The high school cheerleaders play an important role in making the camp experience possible. Fair Grove Head Cheer Coach, Samantha Padgett, explained how they are responsible for designing the routines, teaching them to the junior participants and running all the games and activities.
In addition to the learning process, breaks are also included. Junior cheerleaders are given snack times and are encouraged to interact with the high school cheerleaders in a fun environment. This helps to ensure that the camp is both educational and fun. “During the camp days we learn the material, eat snacks, practice what we learned, and of course do koog,” Austin added.
Alice McMains, a sophomore cheerleader, explains “koog” as a cheer performed at the end of the practice where all the junior cheerleaders cover their eyes and stomp their feet while the high school cheerleaders go around and pick a student from each grade who has had good behavior. They then have the rest of the kids scream for the one they want and whoever gets the most screams gets big pom poms to use during the performance which they call the “google.”
The original performance was supposed to take place on February 11th at halftime, during the high school boys basketball game. However, it had to be rescheduled twice due to weather conditions. Despite the weather disruptions that threatened the event, the camp organizers thought ahead and had a backup plan in place to ensure a smooth experience for all involved.
“When we saw the forecast for the date of the performance we knew there may be an issue with the weather, so, we went ahead and had a back up date planned in case of the inclement weather,” Padgett explained.
She added, “We sent this information home with parents in an informational letter on our last day of camp. After this point we used our social media platform and the school’s text communication system to update parents with the changes that occurred again.” The event took place on February 21st, during halftime at the Fair Grove High School Boys basketball game against Clever.
Padgett reflected on the experience positively, expressing satisfaction with the overall success of the camp. “The goal is for everyone to have a fun and memorable time, I believe this goal was met and the cheerleaders, big and small, all had a great time,” she said.
