The Green Level Stunt team has had an outstanding season, going undefeated in regular-season games and winning the SWAC Championship. The team has an impressive history, winning conference titles four years in a row. Not to mention, Stunt has only been a sport at Green Level for four years; their incredible success is consistent and monumental. Now, with their 4th SWAC championship under their belts, Green Level Stunt gears up to take on Apex in the Final Four this Wednesday.
The team shows immense potential through its season stats and talented players. Their invincible personality is not to say they haven’t overcome roadblocks. Stunt is primarily coached by Coach April Mack and Coach Sha’Donna Burston-Young. The resident head coach, Coach Mack, stepped down midseason due to maternity leave. Green Level’s cheer coach, Samantha Sopko, stepped up into the role and has since implemented her encouraging and thorough coaching style.
“It’s been a few years since I’ve coached stunt, so I’ve learned a lot from Coach Mack and Coach Young, just the statistics of stunt.” Coach Sopko explains, “It’s most important to make sure we keep the pace the same at practice, go over the routines, look at count sheets, and look at past data from routines to make sure we’re doing everything correctly. In a game, we’ve taken notes, and we track back to that and make sure that our counts are correct moving forward.”
The hard work this team has put in, on and off the mat, is truly what sets them apart from other teams. Practices are of utmost importance in continuing their consistent dominance. Practices prepare the team for the tough matchups and competitions. Ava Harm, a junior on the stunt team, notes everyone’s focus at each practice and game.
“Everyone is always in a positive mood and has a really good mindset going into every game. Everyone is always very locked in and on task.” Says Ava.
However, this upcoming competition is the most crucial yet. The team certainly feels the pressure going into their matchup against Apex this Wednesday in the Final Four. The team is united by their shared objective that fuels their competitive fire.
“I think everyone is very focused, we all want to reach the same goal. We all want to beat Apex and become champions,” says Ava, “So we’re all working together to reach that common goal. At practices, we’ve been more cohesive with each other.”
Coach Sopko has her own strategy, focused on positivity and encouragement, to bring the team to success. Her knowledge of the sport and boosting of morale is what turns the stunt team into a winning team. Especially at a competition of such high stakes, it is incredibly important that the team is fired up and motivated. Coach Sopko is just the person for the job.
“I believe I’m a pretty positive person, I try to keep it upbeat. And I think giving them that focus of making sure they know that they can do it, as well as pushing them in the same way that they know that their body can take it as well.” Coach Sopko explains, “Like I said too, making sure we are going over count sheets and looking over past data. It’s the same thing for other sports when you watch film, we go through that data. We go through those notes and make sure we are better moving forward into each game.”
It is safe to say that the Green Level Stunt team is destined for greatness. With such a well-performing group of girls, the expectations are high. Since Stunt has been established at Green Level, the girls have won title after title, and their winning nature is undeniable.
Coach Sopko reflects, “As we continue on the path of success that we’ve had this year, we are a team to watch. It is really good to see, from the cheer team winning conference, to the stunt team winning conference and going undefeated, that there is a chance for us to potentially win a championship on Wednesday.”
As the stunt team prepares to perform in the Final Four this Wednesday, Green Level students are cheering on the Lady Gators! The stunt team has the potential to accomplish great things. Green Level students are excited to see what they are capable of. Go Gators!
