From Coach Robin and Jill:
R: Have you ever had a moment that you wish could last forever? When you wish you could hold back the hands of time and prevent the sand from running out of the hourglass? That is how we have felt all year. There have been times that we have felt so much love and such a sense of belonging that we wanted it to last. But like holding back the waves in the ocean, we couldn’t stop time. Monday was our last practice in our beloved high school gym. We came up a little early to watch the boys practice one last time. None of them wanted to leave the gym when practice was done, but we needed our time as we prepared for our part of the game.
Tuesday was our tournament game against the Warren J.F.K Eagles. It was the game that we have tried not to think about all season. The game started out in the normal way with the National Anthem. You could feel the excitement and sadness in the air, all mixed together. It was only a few strains into the music when already many of the fans and most of the cheerleaders were in tears. We were there to watch our beloved Ledgemont Redskins one last time, to see them do their best, win or lose, and to hold on to the moment as long as we could.
J: The game was a very sad experience for me, I now know what it is like to be a senior at their last game, but I am only a freshman. I should have 3 more years until I have to go through this. I was trying not to think about this being our last game, but during the National Anthem, one of our seniors couldn’t hold in the tears, and one look at her, I couldn’t hold the tears in either.
R: Warren J.F.K. has a great team, but the Ledgemont boys did not back down. The Redskins had something more to play for. The starters, Austin, Tyler, Andrew, Brad, and Logan, led the way on the floor. They played with such intensity and passion. The shots that they missed earlier in the year began to go in, and they collected rebounds and blocked shots against a much taller team. For a time, it seemed like they might pull out a miracle. Sadly, we just did not have the depth to keep up with the Eagles. Using Paul, Spencer, Johnny, and Reggie, we tried to hang around as long as we could, but ultimately, the Eagles overpowered the Ledgemont Redskins.
J: Between the 3rd and 4th quarter, we did a cheer to our fans. The last words of the cheer got to me, “Ledgemont Redskins are here to stay!” Then, during a time out, we did a crowd cheer, and at the end, we yell the word “’Skins!” When we got back to the sideline, a couple tears fell as I realized it would be the last “Skins!” we will ever do as high school cheerleaders.
R: We don’t want to forget that Paul scored the last points for the Ledgemont Redskins, and that Tyler was the leading scorer this game. We don’t want to forget that our last sideline was, as it is every game, “We’re Proud, uh-huh, Say it again, L-H-S!”
J: After the game, we went out on the floor to do a final cheer. As I said the first words, there was no stopping the tears falling down my face. The cheer starts: The pride of Ledgemont, back once again! After that line, I could not find the words to say the rest of the cheer. I kept doing the motions, but I just couldn’t’ say the words. When I looked into the crowd and saw the sad looks on our fans, it crushed me. Many of them were crying, too. I wanted to stop. But I remembered the words of my coach, “I want you to give 110% tonight, this is your last chance.” When we got off the floor, everyone was hugging and crying.
R: We couldn’t stop the clock from ticking away, but we can cherish the time we have left, and celebrate the family that we have forever gained! Ledgemont Redskins, now and forever!