Cheer skills camp sets up athletes for success at tryouts

Jul 27, 2021

The Wareham Tigers Athletic Association’s Cheer Camp, held July 22 to July 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., was a chance for athletes of any experience level to learn new skills. 

“We were working on stunting and tumbling,” said head coach Sonja Delucia. In addition, the girls worked on “a lot of team bonding things and getting to know each other.”

Delucia said 20 girls ages 7 to 15 attended the cheer camp ahead of tryouts for the Tigers’ competitive cheer team on Sunday, July 25. Delucia said the skills camp was a way for athletes to warm up before tryouts because the team had taken a few months off.

Those at camp were making good progress, she said. 

“They’re learning new stuff and playing games,” Delucia said. 

Campers particularly enjoyed the water games they’d played, she said. She added that the girls love competition, so she incorporated that into the camp. 

“We have teams built-in,” Delucia said. She explained that campers were broken into groups that worked together and performed cheers, stunts and tumbling routines in the hopes that Delucia and two team moms — Kim Jorjakis and Kami Bearce — would award them the most points. 

“They’re all competing against each other to win a prize,” Delucia said. “They win mini trophies for every task that they do.”

Delucia stepped up to the head coach role this year, after working as Damon Solomon’s assistant coach for two seasons. She said that the primary thing the Tigers look for when assembling its cheer team is athletes who are “just willing to learn” at any age or skill level.

For more information about Wareham Tigers programs visit https://www.warehamtigers.org/.