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02/15/2017 11:00 PMKristy MacDougall played soccer while growing up, but by the time she reached the 7th grade, Kristy was ready to try something different. That’s when cheeerleading came into the picture for Kristy and she hasn’t looked back since.
“When I was little, I wanted to try gymnastics and cheerleading, but my dad was my soccer coach, so he made me do soccer for the longest time. Then I finally moved to East Haven with my mom and tried something new,” says Kristy. “That was my first year in the East Haven school system, so I thought it would be a good way to meet new friends. I was able to meet new people because of the move.”
After spending a few years learning the fundamentals of cheerleading, Kristy joined the Yellowjackets when she arrived at the high school. She’s currently in her fourth season as a member of the Easties’ cheerleading squad.
“It wasn’t a difficult transition because I first started in youth and eased myself into what high school would be like,” Kristy says. “I did it for two years, then 8th-grade middle school cheerleading, and made my high school team.”
Now in the middle of her senior year, Kristy is leading the Yellowjackets as a captain. Kristy has put in a ton of work to achieve that goal and so it means a lot for her to follow in the footsteps of the team’s previous captains and be a leader for the Yellowjackets.
“It means a lot because I’ve been working my hardest since freshman year to get to this spot. I never slacked off because I knew I had to work my hardest to show my best potential,” says Kristy. “I was so ecstatic and happy. I knew pushing myself really proved what I can do and prevail to get captain. I’ve always been with the older girls. My freshman year I was with two captains and a junior and, as a sophomore, I was with a captain and two other seniors in my formations. So since I was always with the older girls, they showed me how to be a leader and taught me those skills.”
East Haven’s Head Coach Michelle Maru says she knew that Kristy was destined to lead her team based on the attitude Kristy displayed from the moment she joined the program.
“Kristy has shown leadership since her freshman year, which is why there was no surprise that she was voted in as a captain her senior year. Kristy is a strong member of our team,” says Maru. “Besides being a leader, she’s a great role model and friend to the other girls. She makes a positive impact by helping everyone on the team, giving the girls advice and constructive criticism, and also just being a support system for them. Next year won’t be the same without Kristy, but I know her positive impact has made a long-lasting impression on the team.”
Right now, East Haven is in the middle of its competition season, which Kristy says is her favorite part of the year. Although she enjoys cheering at the Yellowjackets’ football and basketball games, Kristy says that nothing compares to performing in front of the judges. As a captain, Kristy always makes sure to get her team in the right mindset for its competitions.
“On competition day, performing in front of teams doesn’t help at all. My nerves get really high before competitions and, when I get to the mat, I get excited and I’m ready to hit it in front of everyone. At the football games, I’m just so used to that, so there’s no nerves, but for competitions, we know we’re being judged and watched, so it gets me so anxious,” says Kristy. “I tell them we know we’re going to hit it. We make sure we’re going to do a good job out there.”
The current competition season has been a great one for the Yellowjackets, who placed first at their first two meets of the year and then finished fourth at the SCC Championship. Kristy and the Easties still have a few big competitions coming up this winter with the New England Cheerleaders Association (NECA) meet, followed by the State Championship.
“This is the best we’ve been doing in competitions. The first we had at Danbury, we usually finish fourth and we’re happy, but when we got first, we were shocked and excited. Next, we were iffy once again, but we got first place and, again, were in complete shock,” says Kristy. “SCCs usually gives us the most jitters, but when we finished fourth, I couldn’t believe it because that was the best we’ve done. That gave us confidence to know we have a good chance at NECA and states this year.”