A Spirited Profile: Senior Cheerleader, Kelly Manhart

By Jenn O'Neill

 You see them at every football game. You see them at boys’ basketball games. But being the most spirited girls at Darien High School is only half of their job. They are the Blue Wave Cheerleaders, perhaps one of the most overlooked sports at DHS. Cheerleading is an intense sport that is a lot more than just waving pom poms and reciting dynamite. So the BWSB decided to interview Senior Captain, Kelly Manhart to find out what cheering is all about.

Blue Wave Sports Blog: How did you get involved in cheerleading?

Kelly Manhart: I have been dancing my whole life, so I transitioned from that into cheerleading. There are four basic components of cheering: dancing, cheering, stunting, and tumbling, so I was a natural transition.

BWSB: How long have you been cheering for DHS?

Manhart: Since there's no feeder program in Darien, I started cheering in high school. I tried out freshman year, but didn't formally start on the team until my sophomore year.

BWSB: I hear there has been a staff-change over the course of the past four years. What can you tell us about that?

Manhart: When I tried out freshman year, the former coach was leaving but a new coach had not yet been decided. That year, a man, AJ, was hired, but he was under qualified and unreliable. When I started, so did our current coach, Lauren Moore. She has been a tremendous help to our team. Since then, additional coaches have been added, including Ashley Lowney, who has become an essential part of our team, and more recently, Kristin Neike.

BWSB: How has the team progressed since you started?

Manhart: It had been primarily due to this guidance that our team has grown to vastly in such a short period of time. Both in numbers and in ability, our team has come so far in just a few short year, and I couldn't be more proud of them.

BWSB: What’s it like being a captain for this team?

Manhart: Being a captain has shown me the role of active leadership and the importance of example. Having the opportunity to be a captain has given me the chance to connect even more closely with the team, and has allowed me to grow more profoundly with my team.

BWSB: What is the difference between cheering at  football/basketball games and cheering at competitions?

Manhart: The games and the competitions are two completely different aspects of cheerleading. At football and basketball games, our primary goals are to support the players and excite the crowd. We do this primarily through cheers, stunts, and half-time routines that include music, stunts, cheers, dancing, and tumbling. During the winter, there are two teams: the Blue Team, which cheers at games, and the White Team, which cheers and competed. In competition, the team has a 3 minute routine with a music portion and a cheer portion, each of which has dancing, stunting, and tumbling. At the competitions, teams from different schools perform their routines and are judged by a panel of judges, much like a gymnastics meet, for example, and a winter is announced. The competitions are very high energy, and there is a sense of camaraderie among the teams that is unusual and remarkable.

BWSB: When is your next competition?

Manhart:  Our next completion is this Saturday in new Milford and we have states next Saturday!

Be sure to check these ladies out, whether its on the courts or on the mat!

Photo Caption: Manhart performs a stunt at the annual Turkey Bowl between quarters