STUNT Dominates Chino Hills High in Season Opener

Emma Chen and Riya Chandan | 51 Views

STUNT holds a braced hitch. This connection is important both during and outside of games. “We have a handshake we do before every game, where we are all in a circle and do a special combination of fist bumps,” freshman Molly Gabbert said. “I really enjoy doing the handshake because it gets us hype for the game.”

STUNT (1-0) defeated Chino Hills 24-6 during its first league game at home on March 3. The Bulldogs’ next game will be away at Villa Park High and Troy High on March 26.

The Bulldogs achieved all four possible points in both the second and third quarters through their execution of pyramids and tosses; and jumps and tumbling. Winning all possible points in those quarters was a goal the team set for the season, one that was achieved through watching clips of their practices and reflecting on how they can improve, according to head coach Rachel Schneble. Their success in these routines set the stage for more complex skills in routine levels 4 and 5.

“The hand-to-hand skill, where they’re in a loaded position, and they hit a handstand, took us a long time to learn because it takes a lot of balance for everyone,” Schneble said. “Also, the back extension roll to the top, where our fliers do a backwards roll into a handstand, was difficult because we have to make sure everything in terms of timing is correct.”

During the match, the Bulldogs focused on cleanly executing each stunt and staying synchronized as a team. Working together during practice helped the group perform consistently during the game, according to freshman Molly Gabbert.

“During stunt routines, it’s really important to make sure that we are doing the right thing or the same thing on the right count,” Gabbert said. “During practice, we try to improve this by going over all the stunts and cap stunts as a team to make sure everyone has it.”

The fourth quarter consisted of team routines, which combined skills from quarters one, two and three. Performing well in the first three quarters helped maintain energy and confidence going into the final routines, allowing the team to close out the match with strong performances, according to junior captain Addi Arredondo.

“Being able to recover from one bad routine can be really difficult,” Arredondo said. “Since each routine is only worth one point, it is important to forget about the lost point and move on to the next. I want to lead our team to continue to improve every week and eventually make it far in CIF.”

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About the Contributors

Emma Chen, Staff Writer

Emma Chen is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. She is looking forward to meet more people and experience more of the school’s culture and events, while sharing her creativity and love for writing. When she’s not procrastinating via doomscrolling, you can find her singing along to the newest song stuck in her head, genuinely getting scared by mystery books, or playing piano.

Riya Chandan, Staff Writer

Riya Chandan is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. When she’s not eating Chipotle for the third time that week, she’s usually baking or walking around with her AirPods in, blasting Lizzy McAlpine. This year, she looks forward to developing her skills in writing and journalism.