By Cooper Chadwick
Wichita East seniors and co-captains Jhourne Mitchell and Avani Payne are excited to go out with a bang.
“Being a senior is already emotional and exciting enough but being captain and having new opportunities, such as the Dodge City Tournament and, fingers crossed, state basketball games adds a cherry on top for me,” Mitchell said.
To prepare for their senior year, Payne and Mitchell spent a lot of their summer cheering.
“In the off season, I prepared for cheer by continuously reviewing what we already know, ensuring movements are sharp and clear. I also remained active while playing volleyball, to condition my body to not grow faint when cheering for hours on end,” Mitchell said.
Payne and Mitchell are not new to having to work together and being co captains was just another step in the growth of their friendship.
“Being Co-Captain with Avani is such a blessing. Being captain comes with so many trials and much responsibility and having the right person to share that with can make or break the enjoyment of the position. I love Avani with my whole heart and I know that I can always trust her to have my back and that I can always look to her to lean on when I may not be able to help in a certain way. Me and Avani have known each other for about eight years now and I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect for me to share this honor with,” Mitchell said.
As captains, Payne and Mitchell understand the importance of cheerleading on the environment of any sporting event.
“There have been so many times that I’ve been told that people go to high school games just to watch the cheer teams. So there’s that aspect but also, cheerleaders add to the excitement of the game. When I think of a basketball game that’s packed and the game is getting heated, hearing and seeing the cheer teams yelling and stomping along with the crowd adds that much more enjoyment to the game,” Mitchell said.
