Cheering to the crowd is what the Niles West Cheerleaders do best. The Varsity Cheer team is always on the sideline for the games hyping up the crowd and supporting the Wolves. Thursday, September 15th was the team’s first home performance in the stadium for the football game, West versus Elk Grove.

Sideline cheer is a way to get ready and practice for competition season, which is just around the corner. There are a lot of expectations for the Wolves this year. Coach Barbara Carabio wants to see progress being made,” They all should be working as hard as they can and that they are progressing every practice, I should see improvements every time we work,” Carabio said.

Sophomores Ross Martcheva and Michelle Martcheva also have expectations, as it is their first year on varsity. “Good tumbling” is Ross’s main goal for this season. “We want to achieve success as a team, and when competition season comes around make it to state and overall just new and good skills” M. Martcheva said.

The team is mostly comprised of new members to varsity, but this doesn’t stop the wolves from developing great team chemistry and connecting with one another. “We are really learning to bond with each other throughout the season, and it’s only our third game, and I feel like we are creating a really close bond,” senior Lindsey Ongyaco said. According to coach Carabio, it is also because they have been working together since the summer.

Cheer captains, senior Lindsey Ongyaco, junior Patrick Nauman and junior Madelyn Chazen, are depended on often.

“I always lean on my captains a lot, I like to give them freedom I always give them the choice,” Carabio said. Carabio responds when asked about the process of coming up with routines and stunts.

Ongyaco has been in the Niles West cheer program for four years and is now one of the team captains. “Cheer is a place I can express myself and have fun even when I have a bad day at school,” Ongyaco said. “I see a lot of potential in everybody, and I know if we keep training and practicing we are going to have a really great season.”

Before their performances, the team practices making sure there are no difficulties and that everything looks well. “Today we practiced right after school, we practiced our stunts, we warmed up our cheer jump sequences, everything, so we look good,” M. Martcheva said. ” Sometimes we lay in a big circle and just sit there and like to recollect our thoughts”

The crowd also plays a big part in cheerleading, the students are supposed to interact and have fun with the cheers. Michelle wants the students to stomp and scream with them so they can all have fun together. “When we spirit to you guys at least spirit back,” Ross said. “Just join in, get hyped, get hyped people,” Carabio said.

Help the cheerleading team cheer their way to victory at the homecoming game this Friday against Glenbrook South.