Central Cheer Team Crushes Competition Routine

Champaign Central’s varsity cheer team of 13 this year have been performing for various sports while fostering community and creativity.

The cheerleaders have been committed with two scheduled practices a week, and the occasional Saturday practice under the guidance of their coach Payton Cline, and her assistant coaches, Coach Kendall and Coach T.

“Our biggest expectations are that they are on time, they communicate with coaches and teammates, and that they bring their best selves, whatever version is that day,” says Coach Cline. Definitely a fair list during a busy year of fall and winter sports to cheer for, such as “all of the varsity football games...home boys JV and varsity basketball games” and more recently, “select home varsity girls basketball games,” according to Cline.

Coach Cline revealed that the team’s routines are created by herself alongside her assistant coaches, such as their competition routine for halftimes and out-of-town dates. Additional cheers are performed during the quarter break and time-outs; some of which the cheerleaders themselves create.

“Our goal for all of our routines is to get the crowd engaged. We love to put a smile on your faces!” says Cline. “My favorite part about coaching is the community we build. I love when graduated cheerleaders come back to say hi, cheer on the team, and coach with me. My favorite part of this season was our weekend trip to Edwardsville. We got to bond as a team and perform our competition routine for the first time. I remember almost crying when it ended. They had hit it BETTER than we’d ever practiced,” she said.