For years, Cal High’s stunt team has been known for their reputation of constantly striving to be the best.
With their talent and passion for the sport, the 31 girls on the team maintained the reputation this season.
Top-seeded Cal won its second straight NCS Championship on April 27 by beating No. 2 Liberty 18-11 at Freedom High.
“We were OK with not winning [because] it was just so fun,” senior Ava Perezalonso said. “[But winning] just felt so good.”
Last season, Cal beat Liberty as well to win NCS and advance to the CIF State Invitational Championship. Cal went on to place second, bu the Grizzlies are looking for more this year.
The state championship are going to be at Clovis North High School on Friday and Saturday. Cal is 25-0 entering the state championship.
Cal began its journey to the NCS title on April 26 by shutting out No. 8 Alhambra 24-0, a perfect score. With that strong start, the Grizzlies continued their streak by beating No. 4 Freedom 22-5 before taking the title against Liberty.
But this year it seems that other schools had improved, creating some concerns for the Grizzlies.
“I think NorCal is getting really competitive,” Perezalonso said. “The other teams were just so good.”
Top-seeded Cal hosted the EBAL Championships on April 23 and opened the competition by beating No. 4 Granada 18-11. That win gave the Grizzlies the opportunity to face No. 2 Amador, which Cal beat 17-12 to claim a ticket back to NCS.
“In our league, we have the most wins and no losses,” sophomore Addison Howard said. “So we are at the top of the leader board.”
Cal did not just stay locally to pad its record this season. The team traveled to Riverside March 22-23 for the Joust Tournament.
“We did really good,” junior Lauren Ko said. “We actually won the tournament.”
Cal’s top tier status doesn’t come easy. Consistently winning takes dedication and grit, which the Grizzlies show time and time again.
But just winning isn’t good enough for the team. The girls want full points. For scoring in stunt, teams can earn up to 24 points. Each round the winning team earns one point and the losing team doesn’t receive any points, but if they tie they both earn a point.
What sets Cal apart from other teams isn’t just wanting to win, but it’s also how they push themselves to perfection.
“In our games we always try to go for a perfect score,” freshman Vanessa Gluck said. “[This is] because we know we are capable of it.”
What makes this team so skilled? Is it the selectiveness at tryouts? Is it the hours they commit to the sport? Is it the coach’s advice?
The answer is all of the above. Cal’s stunt team excels in all these categories. There were even some students on the team last year who got cut this year to keep the team at their best.
“It was really difficult to get on the team,” Gluck said. ”There weren’t that many people trying out, but they all wanted it just as bad as everyone else.”
The coaches try to keep around 30 athletes in the team every season, but just having high leveled skills doesn’t guarantee you a spot. Coaches are also looking for hard working and passionate athletes who also have team spirit. Keeping the standard high guarantees that students trying out will continue to improve their talent to try to earn a spot on the team.
Because of how well the team performed the previous year students such as Ko, who didn’t try out last year, decided to this year which adds even more pressure in tryouts. Students trying out were warned that there were only a select amount of spots on the team, so they knew that no spot was permanent.
“I think it [the team’s selectiveness] helps contribute to the competitiveness and how hard people work on the team for their spot,” Ko said.
On this year’s team, there are 18 veterans returning to the squad and 13 rookies.
“We’ve had athletes in the past who have tried out multiple years and never made it until their junior or senior year,” head coach Bianca Ramirez Lucatero.
Students know the team is excellent but not many know how much time and effort they put into their practices.
The team practices every day except Sundays from 6-9 p.m. Despite these harsh hours, There is a one hour study hall to make sure student’s grades aren’t affected by the time commitment.
“I have actually been seeing student’s grades get better,” Lucatero said.
During study session, the whole team works together to keep their grades up. Students hold each other accountable by making sure their teammates do their homework and help each other study for tests.
With school ending at 2:35 p.m. and 3:41 p.m. for those with a B period, starting practices at 6 p.m. puts the team’s time management to the test. Even outside of practice, students have to schedule their time throughout the week to make time for other activities.
“It’s hard to pick [when] to hang out with your friends or do homework,” Howard said. “So you have to be able to manage [your time] as well as you can.”
The team has four coaches who guide students through their practices. Two coaches help students practice partner stunts, pyramids and tosses, jumps, tumbling, or combined routines. The team also has a mental performance coach who meets weekly with the team.
“Last year was [some of] our coaches’ first time coaching so we did have a good team but the coaches still had to get used to being a coach,” Howard said. “So [practice] is really great, we all work together really well.”
