By Wendy Willner

The Briarcliff High School Varsity Girls Cheerleading Team or VGC is diligently preparing for the upcoming winter season. The team is led by seniors Marnie Halper, D’onna Potillo, and Taylor Talenti and coached by Head Coach Kristi Wagner and Assistant Coach Megan Molloy.

This is Coach Wagner’s second winter season coaching VGC. She came to Briarcliff High School with lots of experience. While in high school, she cheered at Mahopac High School and competed on the all-star Cheer Jamz Team. While in college, Wagner cheered at SUNY Albany and then coached at Somers and Mahopac High Schools.

This season, the team cheers for both the boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball teams and competes in five cheer competitions. The team works very hard to dazzle the crowds. Each team member learns between 20 and 30 cheers a season and is responsible for each one. The team practices on average five times per week for two hours. Generally, each practice consists of a mixture of stunting, tumbling, cheering, dancing, and conditioning. Additionally this season, the team is fundraising for new uniforms, mats, and pompoms. Outside of practice, the team is an extremely close knit bunch: they have sleepovers and dinners, and they even went apple picking this fall.