By Dan Barile
Eagle Times Correspondent
NEWPORT, NH — At every Newport football game this fall, you can expect to see an enthusiastic group of cheerleaders from the Newport spirit team. Fourth-year Head Coach Cyndi Stevens is particularly excited about performing during the homecoming game Saturday, Sept. 30, against Somersworth. On top of it being homecoming, the Newport alumni cheerleaders will be in attendance, and it will be a rematch of last season’s Division 4 state championship game.
In addition to performing at football games, the spirit team is also looking to participate in competitions during the fall and winter seasons. One competition on their radar for the fall season is the Capitol City Spirit Competition in Concord on Sunday, Oct. 29.
“I am happy to say that we have gone from a team that was not competing in any state competitions to competing in 2 of the last 3 seasons and we have improved our standings from the first competition to the second,” Stevens said.
Stevens is excited to have a mixture of new and experienced cheerleaders on this year’s squad.
“My goals for this upcoming fall and winter seasons are to continue to build our skills and not only return to the competition floor, but to also continue to make an impact on our crowd at games and in our community,” Stevens said.
Another goal for the team this year is to raise funds for the Universal Cheer- leaders Association to host a camp in Newport next summer.
“We are working hard to fundraise to go to camp this next year to further build our skills. Currently we are looking for sponsors, both businesses and individuals, and we will be making a banner to honor our sponsors for this year,” Stevens said. “Our team truly works hard and is passionate about our sport. The cheerleaders are always ready to push themselves to the best of their abilities and they are eager to learn new things. They have already come so far in 3 seasons, I can’t wait to see what we can do this year.”
Newport Spirit TeamHead Coach: Cyndi Stevens (4th season) Returning Athletes: Violet Cameron, Christina Cameron, Taylor Davis, Hailey Michaud, Cadence Richardson, Willow Booth Newcomers: Amelia Caravan, Ava Cameron, Evah Hodge, Kendall Blood
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.