Holding a district championship title four years in a row is like walking around with a huge target on your back.

Over the past few years, the West Springfield Varsity Cheerleading team has become the team to beat; a pressure that has only increased as the years go by. For those who joined Varsity this year, the level of intensity is drastically different from the lower levels.

“[The pace] is a 1,000 miles an hour, but it is really pushing us to do better,” said new varsity member, sophomore Val Rosenau.

It isn’t just the legacy of the district titles adding stress. Last year twelve seniors left, leaving big shoes to fill.

“The seniors we lost brought a lot to the team,” said senior Erin Bradley. “We had people last year to look up to and now we are the people to look up to.”

In terms of numbers, last year’s team was cut in half, leaving space for newcomers, including four freshmen. However, the team has experienced turnover years before, and has still gone on to win Districts during those years. The returning members dedicated their time and energy to help the new girls, who rose to the challenge and worked tirelessly to catch up.

Although the biggest thing on the team’s mind is getting ready for Districts, they are also anticipating a shorter year. Due to budget cuts, they will no longer cheer during the winter season; we lose them at basketball games and they lose valuable practice time. The change is bittersweet.

“As seniors, it’s kind of nice to have a break. We’re so tired after competitions, but it will be sad because our season is so short,” said senior captain Erika Nielsen.

For the younger girls who have a few more seasons of cheer ahead of them, the long term effects can be daunting, a long off-season without practice means more time spent in the fall reviewing. But they will also have the chance to expand their horizons during the winter months, and will no doubt be fresh and ready for the new season.

While next year will most likely bring its own changes, the team has coped quite well with the current changes and their chances at Districts look better than ever.

“I’m not worried,” said Coach Betsy Fawsett.