Sweat pouring down, eight-beat counts, the yells of the crowd, muscles tensed for the moment, and then all of the sudden the music goes off and the show begins. Cheerleading has been a part of athletics for a long time, adding spirit and motivation for the teams. Sponsor Scarlette Diseker instructs the cheerleaders and the dance team at SCCC/ATS. The cheer and dance teams go through many tough practices throughout the year to do performances during half time at basketball games. The cheer team travels to every basketball game to help keep the Saints crowd rowdy and spirited. Throughout the years, the cheer and dance team have collaborated to perform at home games. Being able to perform in this manner isn’t as easy as one might think. There is a lot of pressure on the cheer and dance teams when they perform, because the teams have all the audiences’ attention on them. It takes time and hard practices in order to perform like the cheer and dance team at SCCC/ATS. The cheer and dance teams practice Monday through Wednesday starting at 7 p.m. They are expected to be on time, dressed and ready to go for practice. Once they have warmed up and stretched they will be examined on their jumps. Not only do the cheerleaders have jumps to do, but also the dance team. They are expected to have clean jumps, sharp arm movements, be flexible and perform with no errors, if possible. The SCCC/ATS cheer and dance teams are currently preparing for the Basketball Preview Night Oct. 23 where they will be performing together. Over the past week, they have been working at practice and making sure they have their routines memorized for the first performance, when the amount of passion and time the teams have put in to their work will all be worthwhile.