Episode 280: Cheerleaders Build Big School Spirit at Bingham High

Amber Thomas:
It's kind of a hard standard because you have to seek perfection. And I don't believe in perfection in like real life.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the myths about cheer?

Amber Thomas:
People misunderstand the athleticism that's required. The good is that now the girls and the boys can say that they're a sport, you know, that's great.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Amber Thomas:
We get to get the trophy that everybody else gets.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They are incredible athletes who are keeping school spirit alive at home games and away and throughout the halls of Bingham High School.

On this episode of the Supercast, we meet cheer coach Amber Thomas and her talented squad of cheerleaders at Bingham High School. Find out what it takes to make it in cheer and how Miss Thomas inspires her team to be at their very best.

We're here at Bingham High School talking today with Amber Thomas, cheer coach, instructional coach, and teacher. Thanks for taking a few minutes.

Amber Thomas:
You're welcome. This will be fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
I understand that you just won the first competition of the year.

Amber Thomas:
Yeah, we did just barely. We went to Bountiful High School with both of my teams. JV and Varsity both won their division. So it was a super good start to this season.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's fantastic.

Amber Thomas:
We have our national qualifier on Saturday at Mountain America Expo Center.

Anthony Godfrey:
So once things start, they don't stop.

Amber Thomas:
No, then all your weekends are gone.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you know what I love is that years ago I was on the sidelines with you. I don't know if you remember this and I said, "Well, have a great weekend when it starts." And you said, "This is my weekend. This is what I love. This is what I love to do”

Amber Thomas:
Yep, yep. Games and then cheer. That's what we do.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about how the competition is structured. You won this previous competition. You have another one coming up this weekend. January is regionless. Is that right?

Amber Thomas:
Yep, we are going to do region here at Bingham High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, it's a home-court advantage.

Amber Thomas:
Yeah, we typically don't do region. They have divisionals for cheer, but our principal here at Bingham, Rodney Shaw, encouraged us to do region and we're going to host it on January 8th. So it'll be fun. But we'll do three routines there. So we do our show cheer, which we compete at all the competitions. We're going to do a cheer that includes both of my programs and then a sideline dance, which is a majority of the girls.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me about the first type, the show cheer. What does that involve?

Amber Thomas:
That involves elite stunting and tumbling and pyramids and like all the things that are super skilled. It's 70% of our score. And then the cheer is only 15% and then the sideline dance is 15%.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the sideline dance is the same thing that you would be doing in a game?

Amber Thomas:
Yeah, with more finesse.

Anthony Godfrey:
With some enhancements.

Amber Thomas:
Yeah, enhancements are a good way to put it.

Anthony Godfrey:
As you're preparing, let me ask you this. How many of your cheerleaders can do a full?

Amber Thomas:
That's a good question. I think we have on varsity maybe 17 out of our 23 that compete. And then on JV, I think we have five or six.

Anthony Godfrey:
I ask that mostly to show that I know what a full is.

Amber Thomas:
I know, I'm impressed. I'm impressed. And I even have a couple athletes who can do standing fulls.

Anthony Godfrey:
I would love to see a standing fold before we leave today. I'm so impressed with the level of discipline and preparation and really perfection that is required in competition.

Amber Thomas:
Yeah, it takes a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
If you're a baseball player, you miss a bunch of pitches, but you finally hit a home run, you had an amazing game.

Amber Thomas:
Right.

Anthony Godfrey:
In cheer, you miss, you bobble, you forget your step, and maybe everything crashes down. Talk to me about how that feels for the cheerleaders and for you.

Amber Thomas:
Yeah, I mean I think that it's kind of a hard standard because you have to seek perfection. And I don't believe in perfect in perfection in like real life.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sure.

Amber Thomas:
So I think that's hard for the girls. So you know we always tell them to try to hit zero, which means we had a clean routine. But even if they don't hit zero it doesn't mean that they didn't do a great job. Like last weekend varsity had one deduction and we still won. I think JV actually had a clean routine. I think that standard is hard because in real life you can fall and get back up and you're good, in cheer you fall and you might get fifth.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right, right. So tell me what are some of the things that you can be marked down for.

Amber Thomas:
Okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
Some of the little things that for those who aren't familiar with competitive cheer, what are some of the things that really will cost you points?

Amber Thomas:
The things that will cost us points is if during tumbling, if a skill touches down so their hands come to the ground they're not supposed to. And then for stunting if they are in the air and they come down or if they bobble. So the stunt, you know when the crowd says like, "Oh”, but they stay up like that would be considered a bobble.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know exactly what you’re talking about.

Amber Thomas:
So if it makes you gasp you should get a deduction for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, alright. What are some of the things that this team is particularly good at? Why did JV and Varsity both take 1st in this first competition?

Amber Thomas:
Well, I think that they’re a highly skilled group of kids. But I think that their work ethic and really their team camaraderie might be unmatched and I think that that's why they started off successful. I mean every single team in our region is super, super strong. But these girls have a work ethic and they have a drive and I think that they have bars set for them. I don't know if it was by me or the groups before them but they know that they're held to a different standard.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you do set a high bar for them. Tell me about expecting a lot of the team. Even as I walked in I can just tell that they want to do what you're asking them to do. You have them wanting to be at their best.

Amber Thomas:
Yeah, they know that I demand a lot and I demand a lot in the classroom as well. Like I check their grades every single day. They don't get to compete if they have an “F” which is not UHSA standard. That's my standard. We don't let them miss practice. Which is hard because they're also kids and have to be with their family. But they are all very committed and that's kind of why they're great.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's the most difficult stunt? What requires the most skill in competition and what do you guys do?

Amber Thomas:
Varsity does the very first of their routine. They do a handstand and a twist at pirouettes and then they toss her to the top. And then in addition to that they have two more elite skills that follow.

On our JV routine, the hard skills are from Preston. He's amazing. So he does individual partner stunts that I haven't seen any other male cheerleader do in the state. So we're hoping that he can continue at the next level because of his athleticism.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what year is he? He's a senior. He's a senior. Okay, this is his year. Yeah, you want to see him do a standing full?

Anthony Godfrey:
I would love to see him do a standing full.

Amber Thomas:
Preston. Let me grab him. Preston. That's his warm-up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Okay. The warm-up is pretty impressive. Alright, let's see the standing full Preston. Wow. Okay. Not even if I slipped on the ice could I do that. Preston, tell me about what got you in the cheer.

Preston:
It was kind of a really random day. I was leaving school and tryouts were that day. And Jocelyn, she was like, "Hey, you should come to tryouts tonight." So then I was like, "Fine." I filled out the paperwork and then I just showed up.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you're like one of those guys that just shows up at a marathon and runs up with no training in other words. You show up and you have the athleticism to do it.

Preston:
I think so. I did other sports like parkour. So I knew a few basic flips and stuff, but just basic knowledge.

Anthony Godfrey:
What is it like to be coached by Amber?

Preston:
It's awesome. Amber's a great coach. She really is good at teaching you, coaching you individually, helping you with your specific needs and stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, congratulations on being part of the team. I hope you have a great senior year and nail that competition.

Preston:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you. And congrats on 1st last week.

Preston:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome.

Preston:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what are some of the things that people misunderstand about cheer? What are some of the myths about cheer?

Amber Thomas:
I think that people misunderstand the athleticism that's required. Back when I went to school or even before that, it was just a supportive activity to help support a spirit and enthusiasm at events. It went from that into this whole beast of its own, which requires extreme athleticism and precision and all the things.

Anthony Godfrey:
And now UHSAA has sanctioned the sport. This is going to be the third year of competition under UHSAA, is that right?

Amber Thomas:
It will be the third year.

Anthony Godfrey:
What impact has that had on the sport at the high school level?

Amber Thomas:
I mean, I think it's had both good and bad impacts, honestly. The good is that now the girls and the boys can say that they're a sport. That's great. We get to get the trophy that everybody else gets. And I guess in notoriety, but it does put limits of when your season is and how many comps you can go to. You have to fit their funding into what the UHSAA says it should be, which isn't a problem, typically. But there are some different limitations that you have with the things being sanctioned.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back we talk with members of the cheerleading squad at Bingham High School.

Never miss an episode of The Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.

Break:
It's something all parents need to know in the event of an emergency in one of our schools. Hi, I'm Matt Alvernaz, a former law enforcement officer at Army Ranger, now school safety coordinator for Jordan School District. We're talking about the Standard Response Protocol, or SRP.

Knowing SRP will help to keep everyone safe and informed if there is an emergency in one of our schools or buildings. Standard Response Protocol provides consistent, clear, shared language and actions for all students, staff, first responders, and parents. It is language that can be applied to any emergency situation. The SRP actions now used in all schools statewide are HOLD, SECURE, LOCKDOWN, EVACUATE, and SHELTER. To educate yourself and your children on these actions, visit schoolsafety.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with three of the captains of the cheer team here at Bingham High School. Tell me your name, your grade, and we'll talk a little bit about the program.

Cheer Captain:
Okay, I'm Jensyn Bunkall and I'm a senior.

Cheer Captain:
I'm Joslyn Pedersen, I'm also a senior.

Cheer Captain:
I'm Cami Reynolds, I'm also a senior.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what is it like to be on Amber Thomas' cheer squad?

Cheer Captain:
It can definitely be difficult at times, but I think that she pushes us to be our very best, and without her our team wouldn't be as good as we are.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are your favorite parts of being on the cheer team?

Cheer Captain:
I really like the girls on it, and I feel like we've all just become such one family. We're so close to each other, and that's what I like most.

Cheer Captain:
I love going out on the floor and performing. I think just being out on the floor and performing is so much fun. I think doing it as a team makes it even better because we're so close.

Cheer Captain:
I love going to nationals with all of them because it's more of a fun experience as a high schooler, alone without parents.

Anthony Godfrey:
When are Nationals this year?

Cheer Captain:
February.

Anthony Godfrey:
February. And you've already won your first competition. Congratulations on that.

Cheer Captains:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Why do you think you have such a great start already?

Cheer Captain:
This year, I think our team's super close, and I think it helps us a lot. We all enjoy being with each other, and I think it helps us become closer as a team to do better. I also think our coaches have a huge impact.

Cheer Captain:
I think this year they're pushing really hard for us to be able to do really good, and I think that helps a lot for sure.

Cheer Captain:
I also think everyone's more confident with each other and believe in each other, so it's like encouraging to others.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some things that you did growing up to prepare to be part of Cheer here at Bingham?

Cheer Captain:
I cheered when I was little and just pushing myself to make it on the team.

Cheer Captain:
Yeah, I also did All-Star Cheer before I came here for two years, and that's where I learned to start, and a lot of tumbling stuff too.

Cheer Captain:
I actually did dance most of my life, but before I tried out, I talked to some of the girls on the team and stunted with them, and then asked them what I needed to do to get more onto the team and what I needed to do to get prepared for it.

Anthony Godfrey:
What made you want to switch from dance to cheer?

Cheer Captain:
I did cheer when I was seven, and I think cheer would have been more fun to get more involved with the school.

Anthony Godfrey:
You all make a huge impact on the school, and I can't wait to see how things go in the region and state. I really like your chances. You guys are awesome, so thank you.

Cheer Captains:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're talking now with three of the freshmen on the Bingham squad. Introduce yourself and tell me what middle school you go to.

Freshman:
So my name is Oakley Headrick, and I go to Elk Ridge Middle School.

Freshman:
My name's Anni Headrick and I go to Elk Ridge Middle School.

Freshman:
Hi, I'm Sadie, and I go to Sojo.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what is it like to be a freshman on such an elite team here at Bingham?

Freshman:
It's kind of intimidating, not going to lie.

Freshman:
I really like it because it's like I don't really ever have to go to school. I have four classes, and I'm just going to come here, so it's fun.

Freshman:
Yeah, I love it so much. It's just like such a cool experience to go to the high school and as a freshman, you know?

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you love most about being part of cheer?

Freshman:
Probably just seeing the environment, all the friends, and the competitions, the games, everything.

Freshman:
I like the experience that you get being on it and the environment of the school and just how it's just so fun.

Freshman:
Yeah, like the twins said, the environment's awesome.

Anthony Godfrey:
I thought you guys looked alike. No, I'm just kidding. What was it that you did to prepare to be part of cheer here at Bingham? You've grown up doing tumbling dance. Where did you start?

Freshman:
I did dance for, I think, 11 years, and then I was like, "You know what? I want to change."

Freshman:
So I did cheer, and I had a mental block when I was trying out. One day I was like, "You know what? I'm going to do my standing tuck because I want this so bad." It just seemed so fun when I was growing up. I just did it, and I was like, "Wow!"

Anthony Godfrey:
And it worked in tryouts. Describe again what you were trying to do that you were hung up on before.

Freshman:
I got a mental block at All-Star Cheer, and I just couldn't do any backwards tumbling. It was so scary for me. I couldn't get myself to do it. I kept on putting in the hours, and I just one day just did it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And has being part of Bingham Cheer helped you overcome that as well?

Freshman:
Yes. I'm fully recovered now.

Anthony Godfrey:
And that's way in the past.

Freshman:
I had seven years of All-Star Cheer. Actually eight, I think. Eight seasons of All-Star Cheer.

Freshman:
And then we went down basically every day and just tumbled.

Freshman:
Whatever we could do in our basement, we did every day to prepare to get here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Congratulations on your win this last weekend, and good luck on the weekend coming up.

Freshmen:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

(upbeat music)