LJHS Cheerleading Squad now competing in large division
Trojans take third place at ICCA State with IESA State next weekend

[January 07, 2019] 

“Lincoln Trojans one of a kind, we won’t let you down, first place this time!”

These are the opening words to a cheer made by the Lincoln Junior High Cheerleading Squad.

Coach Miss Jessica Plummer has been the squad’s coach for the last two years and says the routine they are competing with must be three minutes long, have standing tumbling, running tumbling, quad stunt, and a pyramid sequence. At the junior high level, cheerleaders are only allowed one flyer up (added layer) in pyramid due to legalities and safety precautions.

Assistant Coach Janet McFadden, who began in the middle of last year, has helped Coach Plummer in getting the girls ready for competition.

Last year the girls wanted to compete and this year they are able to, but because of competition rules in their division, they were only allowed to start practice in October of 2018.

“This gives us a chance to improve skill and modify the routine to increase our score,” said Coach Plummer.

On December 15th, 2018 the Trojan cheerleaders competed in an ICCA competition in Peoria and on the 16th of December they competed in New Berlin. The Trojans brought home a first place plaque from the combined weekend competitions.

The squad earned 10 out of 10 for sportsmanship.

Coach Plummer said that out of 100 points possible they earned 57.7 the first day in competing and 65.2 on their second day. The qualifying score is 55 points.

This was their first year to compete in a large division since there are 17 members of the squad.

“I tried to stress to the team that it is all new to them and awesome they brought home a first place plaque,” said Coach Plummer.

“I do get nervous at their meets, perhaps more than the girls,” said Coach Plummer.

On Sunday, January 6th, the Trojans competed against five other qualifying junior high schools claiming third place at the ICCA State Championship at the Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield.

Scoring by the judges is created by deductions as the cheerleaders compete. Judges watch for such things as: A bow falls off to the ground and you cannot touch it while competing, a stunt falls or bobbles, they cannot step on the boundary lines. Cheerleaders cannot wear any glitter or nail polish and they must have short nails. The performance must be 100% in sync with the music. They have to have perfect spacing in formations. Exuding crowd appeal is important and so is having excellent sportsmanship.

When becoming a cheerleader at Lincoln Junior High, the biggest portion of tryout is a teacher evaluation. “I care more about their personality than skill level,” said Coach Plummer. “They are still judged on motions, smiling, loudness, facial expressions, voice projections, and their jump.”

That isn’t all they have to do to become a Trojan Cheerleader! Candidates have to write an essay as to why they should be a cheerleader. In this way the tryout judges find the student's passion in cheering and ability to be a team player.

Coach Plummer said, "It is super important to communicate together during their pyramid building and that they have a cheering personality."

While a cheerleader, it is expected of each student that they will keep a high grade point average, and take a lot of discipline from the coach. They have to keep committed during the school year. Cheerleading practice lasts two to three hours. Their parents have to be committed too. Cheerleading Camp is each summer and they practice about six hours a day doing stunts, and quad stunts that consist of two sides, a back spot and a flyer up front.

Jessica Plummer also coaches at Lincoln College. Sometimes the cheerleaders from the college come and give pointers to the junior high cheerleaders. One big help the college brings is their mats to practice on.

Mark Perdue, the Athletic Director at Lincoln College allows the mats to be brought in, says Coach Plummer.

“Because our mats are an obstacle, we have decided to have fundraisers in the future to buy new and improved ones,” said Coach Plummer. The cost for one lengthy strip of mat is between $680 to $720. Coach Plummer said they need nine strips to cover the whole end of the floor.

She said Momma’s Arcade reached out to them to have a chicken dinner this year, and Shawn Taylor, owner of the Bowling Alley has reached out. “I have posted to do fundraisers and people are beginning to respond to her,” said Coach Plummer, “Quality Inn is interested to provide some mats. I hope we can get more people involved.”

The LJHS Trojan Cheerleaders have a ritual they cheer before their competitions:

Be loud!
Be sharp!
Stick it!
Have fun!

Then in a circle they each say, "I will," and then all together say, "We will!"

Cheerleaders:
Eighth-graders: Peyton Bennett, Kaitlyn Shull, Jadyn Fish, Hattie Mourning, Taylor Boyer.

Seventh-graders: Faith Bennett, Korinn Pardo, Kylie Boyer, Autumn Strohl, Izzy McFadden, Alyssa Buffington, Cydney Hanes.

Sixth-graders: Jewel McDonnell, Gianna Massena, Audrey Meister, Jasmine Raymond, Reece Winebrinner.

Head Coach: Miss Jessica Plummer

Assistant Coach: Janet McFadden

Manager: Gwendolyn Gill

Congratulations Trojan Cheerleaders on your third place finish at the ICCA State Championship and good luck at the IESA State Championships next week!

[Catherine Carkulis]