Proving that determination brings success, Elwood-John H. Glenn High School’s varsity cheer team has risen over the past four years from humble beginnings to become genuine contenders. The program’s rise can be attributed to the extraordinary job done by coach Lori Fornaro and the dedication of athletes such as senior co-captains Alexia Monclova and Anna Squires, both of whom have both been with the team for four years.
“I took over varsity the year before Covid hit, and it was always my goal to have a competition squad,” Fornaro said, noting that Athletic Director Dave Shanahan was supportive of her plan to enter traditional competitions. “Then Covid hit, so we only did virtual competitions. I felt that because both myself and the squad were inexperienced at the time, it didn’t feel like it was the right time for us to start. That first year, we learned a lot, but were still dealing with Covid effects. It was very challenging. During a typical season, you have a routine and you stick with that routine and make it better every week. But you have stunt groups, and if you have somebody out sick in that stunt group, then someone else has to learn a new position, role, dance or cheer. We would completely switch up our routine in an entire week, and they would go out and nail it.”
Her team responded to the challenges, and continued their athletic growth, eventually attending in-person events. Success came slowly but surely, in no small part due to the students’ perseverance.
“We practice at 5:45 in the morning,” Fornaro said. “That just shows their dedication. They’re always here and always on time. In that hour we have, we get the mats out, put the mats away, and do cardio and conditioning, because you have to be strong to lift other humans. We fit all that in, plus all the the training that they need to do, and they always do it with smiles on their faces.”
This year, the Glenn team fundraised to be able to attend summer camp, bringing home a second-place trophy, and senior Rosalinda Lemus earned All-American honors. The strength of their cheer program has also been reflected in its alumni.
“We've had several athletes go on to be college cheerleaders, and a few from early in the program are actual high school coaches now,” Fornaro said. “In fact, one of them is my JV coach and two of my former cheerleaders from the 2019 squad are national champions as coaches.”
Not content to rest on their laurels, the team and Fornaro believes even greater success is on the horizon.
“One of the things that I love about the squad is that we go against some very serious competitors who go to gyms and hire choreographers so they can hit very elite skills, but we don’t let that stop us,” Fornaro said. “My girls don’t get discouraged when we’re going up against these teams who are hitting in the nineties out of 100. We started off in the forties, and every week we compete against ourselves to see how we can do. Now we’re up to the high sixties, low seventies, so we’re gaining on those other teams and we’re doing it on our own. We’re not doing it with a gym or outside coaches, we’re learning it as we go along.
“Back in my freshman year, I was pulled up to varsity almost immediately,” Monclova said. “I’ve been able to help guide my teammates and help where it’s needed to better the program. We’ve had our ups and downs, and I’ve gotten injured a few times, but so has everybody. We just pushed through. We have worked hard to bring our team really close. I know in the past there had been very cliquey teams, but we made it our mission to make sure that wasn’t the case with our team. In cheerleading, trust is very important, because you’re lifting girls up and putting your lives in each other’s hands every day. If something was to go wrong, you have to be able to trust your teammates to catch you and do their part to keep you safe. So, one of our goals as captains was make sure that our teammates felt secure with each other.”
“I remember we could barely even do anything when I was a freshman,” Squires said. “It was very hard for us to compete with these very skilled teams, but now we are almost in the top 5 and I think it’s really awesome to see how far we’ve come.”
Date Added: 1/30/2025