Red and pink balloons glimmer under the lights. The smell of heart-shaped cookies fills the air. A large red mat takes up the court. Upbeat music blares from the sound booth.
“HIT. HIT. HIT,” can be heard from the dozens of cheer teams filling Huntley High School’s east gym supporting other routines.
On Jan. 26, 127 teams competed at HHS’s annual Huntley Sweetheart Cheer Invite.
All of the money raised goes directly toward Huntley’s cheerleading program for choreography and camps. Both parents and cheerleaders volunteered all day to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Before each team enters the east gym to compete, they go into the fieldhouse to prepare. Each team has a specific time to report to gym A where they stretch. After seven minutes, the team goes to gym B where they can run stunts, like baskets and tumbling, for an additional seven minutes. The teams drink water and rest for a few minutes before heading to the east gym to compete.
The first section of the competition was held between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. The divisions consisted of middle school, small JV, and large JV. Huntley’s own JV A and JV B teams competed with JV A, taking first place in their division. JV B took second in theirs, with Mundelein High School taking first. Before this section’s awards, Huntley Cheer Academy’s Squad 8 performed as an exhibition act.
“It’s pretty fun,” Huntley JV A cheerleader Brooklyn Dalisky said. “The coaches are nice and the kids are nice.”
Next, from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., small and medium varsity teams competed.
Finally, the main event of the competition was here. Large varsity and coed teams began performing at 3:50 p.m. and ended around 7 p.m.
As the last performance of the evening, Huntley varsity cheer dazzled the crowd and the two panels of judges with their complex lifts, stunts, and tumbling embedded into their competition routine.
While waiting for the top teams to be announced, all the teams competing in the last section of the competition made their way to the gym floor to dance to popular, catchy tunes.
Finally, the time came to announce the winners. In the coed varsity division, Dundee Crown High School placed third, John Hersey High School placed second, and Belvidere North High School placed first. In the large varsity division, Huntley High School placed third, Hampshire High School placed second, and Joliet West High School placed first.
“[Sweetheart] is one of my favorite competitions because it’s at our home and on our own mat,” Huntley varsity cheerleader Bella Jean Louis said. “There’s a lot of energy that goes throughout the gym.”
Next week, on Feb. 1, Huntley varsity cheer will compete at Grayslake North High School sectionals to hopefully make their way to the IHSA state finals.
“I am passionate about throwing [the competition] because it helps our program,” head cheer coach Renee Fowler said. “The athletes, all levels, did an amazing job. We love [everybody] for making this competition something that can happen every year and it gets better every year.”