The high school gym echoed with excitement as the cheer team took the floor. The eight-member squad performed during the season-opening basketball games against Haines High School to keep the energy high for the home crowd Friday and Saturday, Jan. 9-10.

The performances were a warm-up for a busy stretch of the winter season.

The squad has shifted their focus toward homecoming festivities Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16-17. Cheer Coach Tyla Nelson said this is the biggest event of the year for the program. The squad plans to stay busy by running a royalty competition and hosting a school dance.

They will also host a special clinic on Saturday morning to teach cheers and dances to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. These young performers will then show off their new skills during the evening games.

Nelson said the main goal for the season is to build up school spirit across the entire student body. The team uses fun theme nights to get more fans involved in the basketball games.

According to the coach, the athletes love their work and often spend time together outside of scheduled practices. This natural chemistry helps them stay synchronized when they perform in front of their peers and families.

“I have to do very little to make them look like they are having a good time,” Nelson said. “They really are excited to be there.”

The squad is led by senior Paige Hoyt and freshman Charlie Nelson. The players voted for these captains themselves after the coach explained the requirements for the leadership roles.

Nelson said this squad is the best she has coached in her three years with the program. She noted that the girls have surpassed her expectations and are constantly looking for new ways to improve.

The team will travel to Petersburg for that community’s homecoming games later this season before heading to the regional competition. Nelson said the squad has a strong chance to win a regional title this year.

Nelson said Wrangell has taken second place in the past but has never claimed the top spot. A first- or second-place finish in Southeast would send the team to the state competition in Anchorage in March.

The coach noted that the group is especially talented at choreography and sideline routines. They also practice tumbling once a week with instructor Tory Houser to add more difficult skills to their performances.

Nelson said the team wants to keep their movements clean and tight to impress the judges at the regional level. She believes that mastering the basics is more important than attempting stunts that the team is not ready to perform.

“I think we really have a chance at a region title,” Nelson said. “They are phenomenal and I am so excited and so proud to have them.”

Nelson grew up in Wrangell and cheered for the high school when she was a student. She said she enjoys giving back to the program that she loved as a teenager.

The coach said she is constantly reaching out for new resources like stunting clinics and summer camps to help her athletes grow, and that the team is making her grow as a coach because they are so eager to learn.

This year’s squad includes:

Seniors Paige Hoyt, Kalee Herman and Ian Nelson.

Juniors Bella Ritchie and Sophia Martinsen.

Sophomores Miah Houston, Kailyn McCutcheon, Ellee Voltz and Breann Boon.

Freshman Charlie Nelson.