LOWER LAKE, Calif. - If you're from the south Lake County area, you've no doubt heard it; you may well have boasted it yourself: “Lower. Lower Lake!”
The mighty call of the Trojans is being kept alive and well by a spirit squad 19-strong ready to ignite the pride of Lower Lake High School.
The Lower Lake cheerleading team has been working together to hone its skills and learn new moves all the while, building a bond amongst the team.
“My approach to a solid team is simple: Don't be selfish, we are team. Try your hardest, respect the team and most of all respect yourselves,” cheer instructor Angie Wade said.
Wade is taking a different approach to coaching the team.
“We have a new program. I came in with a desire to have a competitive group of cheerleaders who can cheer, tumble, dance and stunt at a level that wins championships,” she said. “This has been a challenge and most of the team has embraced the hard work and has focused on being the best they can be. The team has worked hard over the summer so that when game time comes, they are ready.”
Wade said the team is taking advantage of every opportunity to enhance its skills.
She said the team recently spent a day in Sacramento where they worked with a professional on drum line routines.
Drum line performance is new to the team, Wade said, and while there was not a specific program available, the instructor designed one for the squad and invited them, on a Saturday, to Sacramento.
Wade said a group of two girls and five boys, playing different types of drums, will accompany the squad during their drum line routines in upcoming sports seasons.
“They have never worked with drum lines before,” she said. “They are really excited about it and on Sept. 6 they will be going to Davis to perform with the band.”
The squad also has been attending cheer camps that have earned some team members a spot on a national squad.
In late July, the team made a strong showing at Jamz Camp, a two-day competitive and instructional event.
Sophomore Roxana Olivares, 14, a first-year cheerleader, said she especially enjoyed learning new types dances that she said you do not usually get to do in cheer.
But even more so, she said she favored the bonding experience she had with her squad mates.
“Mostly it was bonding with my team. I had to work with people I usually don't work with and we found out we work so well together,” she said.
Johanna Anderson, a 17-year-old junior who has been cheering for several years, said while it's a lot of fun and “you get to make everyone smile and show their spirit,” it's the unbreakable bond that is formed with teammates that kept her cheering for so long.
Anderson appreciated the Jamz Camp experience, which she said was a 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily workout.
“There were a lot of different things like proper ways of stunting, different moves in dancing and they teach in such an easy form it's really fun to learn,” she said. “And there is bonding. You get closer with everybody.”
Wade said the cheerleaders were in constant competition at Jamz Camp, where ribbons were awarded daily based on various skills such as strictness, stunting, dance moves, etc.
“(The instructors) would come around and tie a ribbon in their hair. It was based heavily on effort but also on skill,” she said. “Out of 1,000 kids, about 25 ribbons were given and our team got four.”
The ribbons received by the four represent an invitation to perform in a national squad during the Capitol One Bowl in Orlando, Florida on New Year's Day.
The girls will have the opportunity to work with professional choreographers and squad leaders for performance in the halftime show.
Anderson said she already has her airfare secured for the trip.
“I feel really proud of myself. I didn't know they were doing that and to be surprised, it's just really breathtaking,” she said. “The best part was telling my mom. She was so proud. She is always proud, but she was really proud.”
Freshman Haylee Wade, 13, in her first year of cheer; and Gladys Lopez, 15-year-old sophomore in her second, also received ribbons. The girls said instructors made the experience easy and were supportive.
“They made it challenging but at the same time it was fun so it was less stressful,” Haylee Wade said. “I really got into it. Dance routines were fast but not too fast and the music drew you right into it.”
“The dances they got us into, they were so full of spirit and energy and excitement,” Lopez added.
The girls said they saw the spirit of the team invigorated by the Jamz Camp experience. “Before we went we were all quiet. Now that we've bonded we are not quiet anymore,” Haylee Wade said. “I'm excited to get back and do it here.”
The squad is preparing for several up coming competitions. They will be participating in the Discovery Kingdom Classic on Oct. 12 in Vallejo. The event includes multiple divisions and is a qualifier for the national competition sponsored by Jamz.
The squad is anticipates the National Cheerleading Association's qualifying event in Sacramento to be held on Valentine's Day next year.
A 3.0 grade point average is required by Angie Wade for participation on her squad, which she is assisted in coaching by Audra Ogulin.
“My goal is to graduate academic athletes and we offer tutoring and assistance to those who struggle,” Wade said, adding working with the school and the community is also important.
The squad participated in this year's Redbud Parade and Festival, celebrating Independence Day in July, taking home a couple of trophies for their outstanding performance. They also sponsored a dunk tank that added to the festival's featured events.
Wade said fundraising efforts are ongoing to assist with cheerleading expenses such as uniforms, equipment competition travel.
Additionally the team is anticipating the arrival of a new mascot uniform currently under design by a company in Canada.
The team's next fundraiser is an all-you-eat pizza event from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at DJ's Pizza in Lower Lake. The requested donation is $8.
The team also is seeking donations from the community.
For more information regarding donations, contact Angie Wade at 707-553-0812.
To keep up with the Lower Lake High School Cheerleading Squad, find them and like them on Facebook.
Email Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .