AUSTIN, Texas — Behind The Poms highlights high school cheer teams around the Austin area. This week, KVUE visited Westwood High School.
Growth is the focus this season for the Warriors. Coach Amber Mack, who's also a math teacher, knows the solution is training with conviction.
"Today starts our first day in the weight room," said Amber Mack, varsity coach.
To help them out in the weight room, Mack brought in football defensive coordinator Kyle Coats.
"Believe it or not, we have to do that with the guys all the time," said Coats.
"You don't want to become complacent," said Mack. "You want to improve in any aspect of cheer, whether it's jumping, your tumbling leadership, just your overall character."
Character can build or break a team, and keeping this one on its toes and uplifted is a tiny ninth-grader with a big impact.
"My mom convinced me to go onto the cheer squad," said Berkley Enney. "People need more me."
Enney is a support cheerleader. She doesn't just support the JV squad that she performs with, but everyone around her.
"Amazing, you did great," Enney told the team.
"Berkeley is great," said Campbell Goss. "She supports us a lot to make sure we're doing what we need to do."
Goss is the spirit leader for varsity.
"It's nice to have her here with us," said Goss.
Oozing confidence, Enney lines up, knowing she has a purpose that show's a different side of winning.
"I feel like it's more important what's the inside, not outside," said Enney.
The squad will need her resilience this year as they cheer for football, volleyball and soon basketball, all while preparing for their first state championship competition in years.
"There are three different categories," said Mack. "You have fight song, and you have crowd leading, you have band chants. So fight song, band chant, definitely our wheelhouse."
For this team, it's not about the title of champion.
"I want people to know that we work hard," said Mack.
It's about understanding a good teammate will always huddle around you.
"We just want them to encourage each other," said Mack.
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