The 2022-2023 varsity competitive cheer season has recently come to an end. The Fenton varsity cheer (FVC) team competed at their last competition on Feb 25, coming in 11th place at the regional championship competition.

This closes the 2022-23 chapter of the FVC team, but their story is still alive and thriving. 

“I have been a Fenton varsity cheerleader for four years,” senior Libby Woodward said. “My biggest accomplishment was being one of the four freshmen to make the varsity team in 2019 and to be a four-year cheerleader who is in all three rounds during the competitive season.” 

In Feb. 2020, the FVC qualified for the regional championship competition for the first time in Fenton’s history.

“I was very excited when our team was announced to be moving onto the Regional Championship Competition,” Woodward said.“I didn’t really understand how big it was that we made it at first— until I saw the excitement of the seniors who have been working for it their whole high school careers. As soon as I saw how important it was to them, I was honored to be able to make their dream a reality.”

The following year, FVC took it a step further. The team completed a season with eight overall first place wins, along with winning the Flint Metro League Championship competition on March 12, 2021, leading them to be given the title of Flint Metro League champions. This also led the team to make Fenton cheerleading history, being the first competitive cheer team at Fenton to claim this title. 

“Winning the Flint Metro League Championship title felt amazing,” junior Chloe Justus said. “Knowing that all of our hard work paid off felt so rewarding, and made us realize how everything we put into that season was worth it.”

The team finished out their 2020-2021 season by coming in second place at the District championship competition and earning a spot at the regional championship competition for their second year in a row. 

After coming up short on the district championship title, the Tigers were determined to fight harder to make their dreams possible. 

“The hardest part of fighting for the district title was having to perform a perfect routine with no mistakes, which is hard when 16 girls are competing together doing the same exact thing,” Justus said. 

The following season of 2021-22, the Tigers achieved their goals and claimed the district championship title they had been fighting for. 

“It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders when we found out we had won districts,” sophomore Liz Beaven said. “Knowing the feeling of winning that title encouraged me so much to as hard as I possibly could, and being a freshman on varsity made me fight to not let my team down. It was so rewarding when all of our hard work had paid off in the end, and we took home that trophy.”

Not only did FVC successfully become district champions, they also won the Flint Metro League Championship for a second time on Feb. 11, 2022, giving them back-to-back winning seasons. 

After completing most of the 2022-2023 season, the Tigers have focused on improving both as individuals and as a team. By breaking the school record for the highest competitive cheer round two score, FVC made history yet again. The old school record was from the year previous, when the Tigers competed back tucks, back handsprings, back walkovers and two jumps, scoring 215.48 points. This year, FVC completed round two with the same skills and scored a 217.72. In addition to team improvement, members feel they have also improved individually. 

“We have improved so much as individuals this year, which is what matters the most in my opinion,” freshman Evie Metcalfe said. “Everyone has worked very hard this season, and all of our stunt groups have advanced so much as well. We have all learned so many new things this season, and everyone has come together to make our team better this year.”

The Tigers competed at the regional championship competition on Feb. 25, after advancing through their district, coming in third place out of 13 teams, and fought for a spot at the state championship competition. Coming in 11th place, the FVC season has officially come to an end.

The Tigers will be having a banquet on March 15 to reflect on their achievements and to say their goodbyes to the seniors who have completed their last season on the team.