Prospectus

Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: Sports

There has been so much happening and so much hype about Parkland sports this year. The people who make Parkland sports what it is aren't just the players on the team; it's the people in the crowd, the student section, the cheerleaders and the dance team. This year's basketball season there have been more spectators watching the games than in the past 2 years. With Parkland sports gaining a lot of national attention, more people have been coming to sporting events to support the teams. "As a Parkland student and a fan of basketball, I enjoy being loud while supporting classmate," said freshman student Jason Arch. Having the additional noise and support, the people of Parkland have truly given a home field advantage atmosphere for Parkland athletics. Here are the stats: The women's basketball team is 22-7 and 10-2 at home, men's basketball is 6-5 at home with a 12-15 record, the women's volleyball team was 9-0 at home with a 42-6 record and men's soccer was 4-3 at home and had a 9-7-2 record.

Though it is understandable that Parkland is in the outskirts of Champaign and it can be hard to get to the games sometimes, people still come to support the Cobras as best as they can. Sophomore Danny Atchley is very enthusiastic about sports and enjoys cheering on the cobras. "It's great to see that we have a school that is actually competitive in sports, it makes watching it all-the better," said Atchley.

Champaign native, and high school senior Tyler Johnson of St. Thomas More explains his enthusiasm towards Parkland sports. "I am a huge fan of Parkland athletics, especially the soccer team. I come to as many games as I can and cheer on the team because I have friends on the team, but I also plan on coming to Parkland and hopefully being a part of the soccer team."

The cheerleading team brings the electricity of the home field advantage. The cheerleaders get the crowd moving. Cheer captains Kayleigh Johnson and Maria Rojas do their best to help motivate the team and pump up the crowd. "It's a group effort, and when we do our stunts, we expect to do them perfectly," said Rojas. The team has 10 physically fit dedicated individuals that help the crowd stay loud. "The best part about it is when we pump up the crowd, because we are having fun doing it and the crowd is having fun cheering. It's a win-win situation," said Johnson.

The Parkland dance team performs during halftime at the Men's basketball games. They also rotate in and out with the cheerleading team during timeouts. The dance team is a very dedicated group made up of committed individuals willing to balance school, work and dance all year round. The team goes to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee every summer for dance camp. There they learn how to dance in different styles and have different approaches to spice up their dances and even create new ones.

Though Parkland's athletics is not over with golf, baseball and softball all starting in March. There is still a lot of Parkland athletics to support and cheer on. This year there should be quite a crowd for the all the spring sports at Parkland. This year's baseball team is riding the wave after wining the NJCAA World Series title last year, the golf team is coming back for more after an Elite 8 appearance in last years national tournament and the softball team is coming back with a vengeance after having a 33-13 record last season.

The national spotlight for Parkland sports is rising, and with that, more and more fans will be cheering. It is a great year to be a Cobra. See you at a game soon!

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