*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 106 Issue 1 of our news magazine, Amplifier.

West Linn’s cheer program is experiencing leadership changes this year, switching from a two-captain to a “senior leaders” system where each senior is given a position of leadership. The team’s senior class includes Sophia Gilday, Sophie McClellan, Rhea Sukumar, Kylie Rusk, and Kira Lewis, all seniors.

Nicholas Hull [NH]: Can you help me get an understanding of what the new captain system is?

Sophia Gilday [SG]: Our coaches this year conferred together and decided that instead of having two captains, like it’s been in the past years, they’re gonna have senior leaders, which essentially [means] every senior is a captain in a way, and we share all of the responsibilities. They said it’s a phenomenon that’s been happening throughout the cheer world, and they decided they want to try it.

[NH]: Has that brought you more together as a group?

Kira Lewis [KL]: I would say so. We’ll have after-practice meetings with each other and the coaches, and it’s just for all of us to share our input and our opinions together, hear everyone out and talk things out, which I definitely think has made us get a lot closer and understand everyone’s standpoints.

Rhea Sukumar [RS]: I feel like we do a good job compromising and being a uniform front to the coaches.

[NH]: What’s better about this system? What’s worse?

[SG]: I think one thing it lacks is the fact that none of us got the opportunity to try out for Captain or have that idea that your team’s voting for you because they want you. You’re in a situation where you’re a senior, so now you have this big responsibility that’s just put on you. There are some things where they’ll be like, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to, but since we are all seniors, everyone does have to have some of that responsibility. It teaches you that at certain points you do have to take some responsibility, but in some ways, it’s also like, maybe not everyone necessarily wanted it.

[RS]: It takes a little bit of the pressure off of two people, because it is a big responsibility when it’s just those two people. It might be a little bit easier to come to conclusions or decisions about things.

[NH]: Since you guys were thrust into this role as seniors, what advice do you think you have for seniors next year if this system continues?

[RS]: I think just really communicating with your fellow seniors, and then bringing something to the table for coaches because for us, we talk about it in our group, and then we talk to coaches, and then they’ll give us a compromise, and then we talk about the compromise, and figure out what we want to do.

Kylie Rusk [KR]: All of us will reach out to the younger girls, because there are a lot of us. But it’s also hard, sometimes it’s not always there with the communication, so I think just making sure that they have clear communication just so that everyone knows what to do.

[NH]: What is your favorite memory from cheerleading?

Sophie McClellan [SM]: My favorite memory was winning state our sophomore year, That was just amazing. Also, our routine last year was a great memory.

[RS]: My favorite memory is probably all of the nationals that we’ve been to. It’s a really great bonding moment, because you get an experience like competing in a big environment, but also going to Disneyland and spending a lot of time with your fellow teammates, and it just brings you together.

[NH]: What are you looking forward to this year, or do you have any goals?

[SG]: [We want to] to win state because after last year and not winning, when we actually tried so hard and it ended up coming down to a technical thing that we didn’t think about, we’re all aiming for that state championship. We’re all really ready to fight for it.