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02/20/2018 11:00 PMBrooke Hammond recently earned a spot on the All-Shoreline Conference Team for the second time as member of the North Branford cheerleading squad. Brooke, a senior captain who’s been a varsity cheerleader for all four years of high school, had previously made it two years ago during her sophomore season. Brooke was presented with her most recent All-Conference honor at the inaugural Shoreline Conference Championship that took place on Feb. 10.
“I felt like I accomplished a lot. They meant a lot to me,” says Brooke of her two All-Shoreline nods. “I never thought I’d be able to do that. When it came out that I was picked for the team, it was very shocking and really rewarding.”
Brooke started cheering in 3rd grade, and she’s put in a ton of work to become a top performer at North Branford’s competitions. Brooke has done acrobatics for 10 years and also joined a tumbling team with the Spirit All-Stars in Hamden.
“When the competitions started my freshman year, I enjoyed going out there. It was such an adrenaline rush,” Brooke says. “I also did outside coaching for tumbling. It prepared me tumbling, and strength-wise. Without it, I would’ve been lost. I went into freshman year with a higher skill level than most of the girls because of all of that, and I feel that was an advantage.”
North Branford Head Coach Marisa Laudano has certainly taken note of all of Brooke’s hard work, as well as the way she supports her fellow cheerleaders. These are two of the reasons why Brooke is a captain for Laudano’s team this season.
“[Brooke] has all of the elements that encompass a good cheerleader. Aside from being a veteran flyer on the team, she is also an excellent jumper and tumbler and has clean and sharp motions when she cheers and dances,” says Laudano. “Aside from her skill set, she is...constantly motivating and encouraging other cheerleaders, and she carries this kind and genuine attitude with her both on and off the mat in her everyday life.”
Brooke says that she loves leading the T-Birds as a senior captain. The experience has proved a welcomed challenge for Brooke that has boosted her own confidence.
“I’ve become a lot more confident in myself and my ability to help my teammates when they have a problem. I’ve also gotten much better giving speeches in public, because I was very shy when I was younger. Being a captain helped break me out of my shell and not worry about talking in front of people,” says Brooke, who was nominated for All-State last year. “I love being able to help my teammates and be there when they need help. I like guiding them in what they want to do.”
That’s an important trait for Brooke to have as one of North Branford’s flyers, when she’s constantly interacting with her teammates to make sure everyone is on the same page. It’s an exhilarating feeling for Brooke when she helps the T-Birds pull off something that they hadn’t previously done in a routine.
“To learn new things and to be able to show it off, it’s just really exciting,” she says. “I feel such a rush when I hit a new stunt. It’s very overwhelming and it’s a very enjoyable time.”
Brooke enjoys cheering on her fellow North Branford sports teams, but she also really looks forward to the cheerleading competition season. Brooke and her teammates prepare diligently to make sure they’re ready for their handful of competitions throughout the year.
“Everyone gets really excited, because they want to show off what they can do. In our past couple of comps, we’ve set our bar really high,” says Brooke. “To see our improvement has been amazing, and you can feel the energy. All the girls are pumped, excited, and confident.”
Brooke’s favorite competition is the New England Cheerleading Association (NECA) Meet that takes place each year at East Haven High School. Brooke says the T-Birds put in the most work to prepare for that meet, and they’re really looking forward to this year’s competition.
“We go to camp for NECA, so it’s nice to see where we were at the beginning of the season to where we are now,” Brooke says. “It’s crazy to see the difference...It’s just amazing.”