The Manchester
Enterprise

A Heritage Newspaper

Weekly Publication

Cheer teams look to great season

Experience
will catapult varsity team to new heights

By Austen Smith, Staff Writer

PUBLISHED: September 15, 2005

Katie Ray, who is the head coach
for Manchester
varsity and junior varsity cheer teams, this year
oversees one of the most experienced squads she has had throughout her
tenure.

"I hope with that experience
will come great things," Ray said. "The
girls are working harder than ever and they have really shown a true effort
to go above and beyond every other year."

The varsity cheer team consists
of 13 athletes this year. This team has seven seniors, five juniors and one
sophomore.

Seniors include Laura Eisenhauer, Julie Hinkley,
Jessica Lesniewicz, Molly Spears, Katie Spicer,
Holly Staten and Krystle Wilson. Juniors are Jamie
Baird, Ali Engle, Jessica Kirkland, Sara Scharpenberg
and Deanna Uhr and rounding out the team is
sophomore Kimberly Ticknor.

While the varsity team can be
defined by their experience, Ray sees a lot of potential in her young junior
varsity team as well.

"With eight freshmen, new to
the world of high school cheerleading and three returning sophomores the JV
team is quite young," Ray said. "They have great mental and
physical attitudes. Each one of the girls is strong in their own way, that
they bring a new and fresh spirit to each game every week."

Sophomores on the JV include
Audrey Carey, Margaret Sikora and Katelyn Spring. Rounding out the team are
freshmen are Lacey Brewington, Brook Fraley, Kelly Kasbohm, Katrina McDowell, Sienna Miller, Katrina Tobias
and Raven Webster. There is also a student on the JV team, Alexandria Gilson,
who is in the 2010 class.

Ray said it will be something to
watch these girls develop as athletes.

"They are so spirited for Manchester and its athletic program; I wish I could
clone their hearts and athletic ability and put a little piece in every Manchester
athlete," she said.

One possible downfall for the
cheer teams will be their mental toughness.

"Mentally, our team is not
as strong as I would have hoped but their attitudes are positive," Ray
said. "I think it is only a matter of time before we will surpass all of
our expectations for the season."