For the first time in five years, the varsity cheerleading team at Donegal High School participated in local competitions, and the team had a successful showing. "We competed at Dtown Showdown and took second place, Exeter High School and took second place, and at the Fire and Ice Winter Explosion, we took first place," said coach Brittany Burt. She noted that she was happy with the results, but not completely surprised, adding, "The team was filled with a lot of new talent that proved that they could compete."

This year's team was made up of 12 athletes, many of whom were new to the sport, Burt remarked. "The team this year had a lot of determination to learn new skills that would help to set them apart at competition and on the sidelines at games," she stated. "The team is made up of a majority of freshmen and new members to cheerleading. The athletes showed a lot of promise this year in their abilities to learn the material for football games, basketball games and competition. I look forward to seeing them progress through the years and grow into a mature team."

Burt commented that returning to competition was a goal she set to help the cheerleaders not only challenge themselves, but also earn recognition as athletes. "We have been pushing for more support in the cheer program for a few years within the school district and wanted to show that these athletes needed to be recognized as a sport," she explained. "With the school board's approval and the athletic director supporting our program, we were recently approved as a sport within Donegal School District. This will allow us to compete at higher levels and join the district and state competitions. We value the school's support in this sport and our athletes."

As this year's season comes to a close, the team is gearing up for next year and will hold tryouts soon. Tryout practices will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at Donegal High School, 1025 Koser Road, Mount Joy, on Monday, March 27, through Wednesday, March 29, for athletes to prepare for tryouts. Tryouts will be held on Saturday, April 1, beginning at 9 a.m. "Anyone in grades six through 11 within the Donegal School District interested in trying out for next year's varsity or junior high team can find tryout packets at their school office," Burt said. "Or they can show up on the first day of tryout practices and fill out the forms." Questions about the cheer team may be addressed to Frank Hawkins, Donegal athletic director, at frank.hawkins@donegalsd.org.