HUNTER DWORACZYK [email protected]
AUSTIN — Taylor’s young cheerleaders stole the show at the Central Texas Youth Football League 2023 Cheer Competition.
Taylor Youth Ducks had its cheerleading squads compete at the event Sunday, Nov. 5 at the Toney Burger Activity Center, 3200 Jones Rd in Austin.
Taylor Youth Ducks Junior Varsity Cheer, 8- to 10-yearolds, and its Varsity Cheer, 10- to-12-year-olds, combined for the contest. The mixed team came away as champions of the Senior Large 1 Division with a firstplace performance.
The team was judged on floor presence and techniques in their cheer, chant and dance.
“They wanted to incorporate the chant that the boys do in the beginning of the ‘who has your back, we got your back,” said Courtney Fields, TYD Cheer coordinator. “So, they did that for the beginning of the competition.”
Meanwhile, Taylor Youth Ducks’ Flag Cheer team, composed of 5- to 8-year-olds, competed in the Pee Wee Division and won fifth place in what was regarded as a very competitive field.
Fields said the Flag Cheer’s performance was enhanced by their young, smiling faces.
“Their dance routine had a lot of facials,” Fields said. “A lot of cuteness, trying to capitalize on that aspect of them.”
The teams had just two months’ notice to prepare for the competition. Fields said a CTYFL official reached out to offer a spot in the contest since they were open to participants outside of their own league.
The youth cheerleaders practiced for an hour and a half on Tuesdays and Thursdays to prepare for the contest.
“It was always just stunt, stunt, stunt,” Fields said. “It was a lot of hard work and tears. We had a couple of girls fall, leaving practice with a couple of bloody feet. They pulled it out and worked hard.”
In order to form bonds, the cheerleaders participated in team building activities like their team buckets. Additionally, all three teams practiced side-byside.
The closeness of all the cheer teams made it easy when the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams needed to combine to perform stunts at the contest, Fields said.
“It was really natural for them,” Fields said. “They know each other and go to school together. They have been around each other for a while, so it is kind of like a family.”
Fields said this was the first time the Taylor Youth Ducks have ever competed in a cheer contest as currently assembled in the Tri-County Youth Football League.
Since the program started last year, she said it was exciting to see the teams grow. The cheer teams were able to have their own uniforms this year after needing to wear shirts and spandex last year.
Since the team was able to wear cheer uniforms for “Drip Fridays”, where Taylor Youth Ducks wear their gear to school, Fields believes there will be more participation next year.
“We had a lot of teachers and principals asking the girls where they can sign their daughter up,” Fields said. “We definitely came and were noticed everywhere.”
The cheer program had its fall season end with the Dallas Red Zone Games event at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Saturday, Nov. 18.
