Younger lineup brings new energy to RBHS cheerleading

Junior Saraii Lopez is among just five returnees on the Riverside Brookfield High School varsity winter cheerleading roster. There’s an influx of new faces after graduating 10 seniors, and the young Bulldogs bring plenty of enthusiasm.

“It’s all about the energy,” Lopez said. “Cheer is really a mentally draining sport if you make it to be and the environment isn’t healthy enough, but if it’s healthy, it becomes way easier and also helps you kick out the mental blocks you have during practice.”

Consistent improvement is on the Bulldogs’ minds as they again face the challenge of competing as one of the smallest schools in the IHSA’s large division after previously being in the medium division.

Team members are seniors Mikayla Biggerstaff, Olivia Denson and Natalie Torres; juniors Sam Bohrer, Lilah Finkle, Isabelle Glass, Kayla Janusz, Lopez, Gabriella Reyes and Tali Schultz; sophomores Samantha Daun, Averie Gizewski, Alexa Maciejewski, Olivia Madera, Paloma Mendoza, Juniper Wendel and Paige Zavorski; and freshmen Sienna Giampietro, Alyssa Norman and Anabel Wzorek.

Biggerstaff, Denson and Madera are the winter season captains. Biggerstaff and Denson were the fall captains. Madera was added for the winter as an experienced competitor who has been part of all-star teams. 

In their season-opening competition, Dec. 21, the Bulldogs finished 13th of 18 teams at Rolling Meadows with a raw score of 79. They were third of eight teams at Dundee-Crown Sunday with an 82. 

“Something that would make this season successful and satisfying is that we are more together as a team,” Biggerstaff responded. 

“I feel like last year there was a lot of negative energy. I feel like this year a lot more people want to be here and everyone’s reaching for the same goal, just to succeed and progress from our last years and hopefully place and make it to state.”

New varsity coach Lauren Vara and junior varsity coach Tricia Schroeder have swapped roles in their fourth season together and are both former RBHS cheerleaders. JV coach McKenzie Sopoci also worked last season as a volunteer.

In 2021, the Bulldogs earned their 12th state berth in the medium or co-ed divisions via a top-five sectional finish. Last season, the Bulldogs finished 13th in the large division at the Rolling Meadows Sectional (68.97).

“We have a fresh, new team. They really bring each other up. Even in times of frustration, they want to really work hard with each other,” Vara said. “Cheerleading is an all-or-nothing sport. We all work together or nothing goes the way it’s supposed to. They do a really good job of coming together. I do think that team family functionality is very much in place this year.”

There’s a solid foundation from the five winter returnees: Biggerstaff, Torres, Lopez, Finkle and Maciejewski. 

“We were close last year but I think definitely we are closer as a team this year,” Maciejewski said. “I feel like we are hard-working and just get a lot done.”

As the former JV coach, Vara also has worked directly with most of the older athletes since their start. She calls the five meets other than their first Upstate Eight Conference meet, Jan. 22, at Bartlett and the Joliet West Sectional, Feb. 1, their “practice performances.”

“This year is our growth year,” Vara said. “We’re going to look at our scoresheets [asking], ‘Where can we improve?’ We are hoping that when we go to sectionals, we have a high enough score to make top five [for state].”