After obtaining a mild concussion, sophomore Heather Winne sits out on the sidelines and watches the rest of the cheer team stunt at the football game.

The cheer team has had eight members with concussions which resulted, in it dropping out of their October competition.

“We were supposed to have a competition, but, due to the number of concussion-related injuries, we had to cancel the competition — which we’ve never done before,” Winne said.

Winne was the sixth member on the team to get a concussion or other cheer-related injury. She believes that the high number of concussions has affected the team’s routine and how its members prepared for the competition.

“It has set us back because we have had to take girls out that will no longer be in any of the competitions,” Winne said. “They have had to rearrange all of the formations and positions.”

Junior Lexi Moore also got a concussion during this year’s cheer season when she was dropped on her head during a KC Cheer tumbling class. Moore said her concussion has made her hesitant to attempt new stunts.

“It’s made me more scared to try new things because I’m afraid I’m going to get dropped again and get another concussion,” Moore said.

Winne contributes this year’s growing number of concussions to the fact that the team’s competition was moved up a month. Winne thinks this gave less time but more stress to the cheerleaders as they prepared for their now-canceled competition.  

“We had to push ourselves to try to fit in our routine to this month rather than having another month to practice and figure everything out,” Winne said.  

Due to all of the injuries on the team, it is starting from the lowest level of stunting, and moving its way up to more advanced levels, in order to insure the team’s members can practice safe stunting.

“Now, before we want to stunt, we have to pass a stunt test for the coaches to make sure we’re able to do all of the stunts,” Moore said. “The rules are a lot stricter now.”

Winne and Moore have both been cleared to compete in their next upcoming competition on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Blue Valley Southwest. There are currently three members of the team who are still prohibited from participating in the next competition due to concussions.

“I was upset at first because I was going to be taken out of the first competition, but, since that one was cancelled, I’ll be put back in,” Winne said. “I’m just happy to be back cheering soon.”