Coming off its Team of the Year trophy last winter, the Newtown High School cheerleading squad will soon be setting its sights on South-West Conference and state success. Competition season is not until winter but the Nighthawks are hard at work — all the while having fun — sharpening skills while getting set to support the football team.

“For fall our focus is football season, and preparing for sidelines. We spend about 14 weeks learning cheers and sideline stunts. We also like to participate in two to three community service events. In addition, we work on strength and stunting technique as we begin to be prepare for winter season, which is our competition season,” Coach Susan Bridges said.

“We are a very strong stunting team. It takes a lot of discipline and strong technique to do many of the skills they perform. We never take shortcuts with technique — this makes hard skills easier, and safer,” the coach added.

Captains are Chase Sferuzzo, Rachel Szor, Hannah Busillo, and Hannah Guman. The Hawks return the entire team from last year and have strong juniors Ella Macey, newcomer Cydney Turoczi, and Amanda Reyes, along with a very talented sophomore class featuring Isabella Walder, Olivia Decatur, Abi Gonzalez, and Melanie Lordeiro.

“We have a very dedicated, talented team. They are looking to build off their strong finish from 2023,” Bridges said. “The girls take a lot of pride cheering for the Nighthawks. It’s a balance to prepare for sideline cheer and getting stronger and ready for our competitive season. We really try and have as much fun as we possibly can, while staying focused.”

An example of this fun is that the team starts every practice with music during warmup and the first song is always Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You. “It doesn’t matter if it’s July or December,” Bridges noted.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.