By Glen Rosales
Special to the SUN

With no seniors and several eighth graders making the transition to high school cheerleading, it’s been a year of learning for the McCurdy spirit squad as it gets ready to hit Saturday’s state competition at The Pit in Albuquerque

“The athletes show a lots of dedication and heart and they’ve really stepped up as a team,” Bobcats coach Sabrina Sanchez said. “They’ve grown a lot this season.”

That’s in large part because the handful of returning athletes have made it a point to integrate the newcomers into the squad.

“The cheerleaders that were on the team last year have really stepped up and shown a lot of leadership with the young ones, trying to mentor them,” she said. “This year has been a lot more stable and we’re regrowing the cheer program.”

Last year, Sanchez’s first as a head coach trying to re-establish competitive cheer at McCurdy was a rough one, so she appreciates the squad’s veterans stepping into the breach to provide some guidance, especially since the squad was coming off a rough season.

“I was very proud of them because of the difficult year we had,” Sanchez said. “We didn’t finish where wanted to. It was all a learning experience and in the end, we made it as fun as we could.”

Competing at state at The Pit last year was particularly trying as the team struggled to deal with the atmosphere and it had Sanchez seeking some new strategies.

“I want them to do better than they did last year,” she said. “I’m not looking for a first place trophy or anything out of the ordinary. I just want them to have fun and do better than last year because it was a tough day.”

To help make that happen, Sanchez got the Bobcats involved in the Halftime Hoorah last week during the state basketball tournament, also at The Pit. Spirit squads from across the state performed their routines during the games’ halftimes, giving them a better chance to get acclimated to the arena.

“I think it’s really important,” Sanchez said of having that experience, especially after looking on last season. “We wanted to give the younger crew a little of the experience of being in the Pit and a huge crowd.”

McCurdy ended up cheering during the Sandia-Rio Rancho 5A boys’ game in front of quite a crowd.

“They were a little intimidated, to be honest,” Sanchez said. “It was more than they thought it would be. I think they thought it was a little scary. But I hope that preps them to come out on the mat and be comfortable.”

Still, it ended up being good for the Bobcats.

“They had fun but they were glad when it was over,” Sanchez said with a chuckle. “It was a good game, there was a big crowd. It was a good prep for sure, especially for my eighth graders.”

Now the Bobcats are looking to top out with their best performance of the season, especially since the dual athletes who make up about half the squad are done with basketball and can focus all their attention on cheerleading.

“It’s tough, it’s really tough,” Sanchez said. “It’s tough on the team as a whole. In addition to trying to plan practice, it’s tough for them to juggle, for sure. But, coming from a small school, as coaches, we have to put in that work to make it work and support them in what they trying to do.”

And in the end, it’s all worth, she said.

“I’m really proud of them and they worked hard all season, and they continue to prove it every time when they step on the mat,” Sanchez said. “The satisfaction you get at the end is in describable.”