Spirit Squad hosts Little Lions clinic
September 21, 2022
The Little Lions Clinic was held on the afternoon of August 28 at Lawrence High.
At the clinic, the Lawrence High spirit squad taught the “Little Lions,” kids aged 4-12 years old, a combination of cheers, chants, and dance routines to perform at the first quarter of the first Lawrence High football game of the season.
Most of the clinic was in the main gym, where the Little Lions could focus on learning their choreography. In the end, the spirit squad took them onto the field to practice, where they went through their routines and dances. Although it seemed like a lot for the young kids, and despite the heat outside, they seemed to learn what they needed to do.
“Seeing them catch onto it, it was a lot. There was a lot of choreography. There was a lot for these young kids to learn, and they did it in two hours,” junior Aubrey Augustine said. “They just got it.”
For the Little Lions, the cheers were empowering and rewarding.
“I liked the part where we do touchdowns,” fourth grader Anna Anderson said. “We go ‘eat them up, eat them up, L-H-S!”
The spirit squad enjoyed being able to teach the kids and encouraged them to perform. They played games with them to ease their nerves. Overall, they tried to create a fun, exciting experience for the Little Lions at the clinic and the game.
“It was really fun because they were all different in their peppy personalities,” junior Taylor Anderson said. “They were just ready to learn.”
Naturally, some parts of the clinic were tricky with so many young kids. Getting the Little Lions settled in was tough on some members, as it was a bit hyper.
“It was hard to get so many kids to listen,” sophomore Kylee Chee said. “It was sort of like teaching a preschool.”
However, the turnout of this year’s Little Lions Clinic seemed to go much smoother than the last. Last year, the presence of Covid created some problems at the clinic, so the spirit squad members were glad to see some normalcy return this year.
“Last year, we were outside the whole time, and it was very hot. We couldn’t really touch each other, and it was just really hard and complicated,” Taylor Anderson said. “It was so much better this year.”
At the football game, the clinic seemed to prove successful. The Little Lions enthusiastically cheered, danced, and were able to follow their routines. Some of them even went over and beyond by performing towards the crowd.
“We taught them a couple of cheers. Then we were like, ‘hey, sometimes you can do kicks and do cool tricks to the crowd,’” Augustine said. “This girl by me just did a straight-up kick, and I was thinking, okay, wow.”
