POULSBO — As the North Kitsap winter sports teams prepare for the upcoming season, there is a group of determined girls who are also conditioning, working on its moves and strategies and getting pumped up for the season ahead.

Only this squad won’t directly endure any wins or losses this winter; rather, it will lend all of its energy to support the other NK teams.

This group — North’s cheerleading squad — is a collection of 11 girls that tough out an almost year ‘round season to support its school and community. It takes a certain type of person to handle such responsibility, according to coach Denise Nelson.

“These are the most egotistical, outspoken, obnoxious, gregarious and intelligent girls in the entire school,” Nelson said. “They just like to go out and perform — they like a challenge.”

Cheerleading — an activity based upon supporting others in competition — is an even greater challenge when at times, the support is not felt both ways.

“The recognition (the girls get) has improved but it gets to them sometimes,” Nelson said. “They support others but they don’t have any support of their own.”

The girls will be cheering at nearly all home boys’ and girls’ basketball games, as well as home wrestling meets for the winter. In a season which could find the squad cheering up to four times in one week, recognition of hard work is important, Nelson added. But not even the State of Washington’s athletic association, the WIAA, recognizes cheerleading as a sport.

“It’s a sport, we do just as much as other (teams at North Kitsap),” said sophomore cheerleader Sarah Philpott. “I get the ‘Oh, you’re a cheerleader’ sometimes. People underestimate us. They’d be dead after a cheer practice.”

Philpott’s comments are felt throughout the entire team.

“Look at how hard we work,” said junior co-captain Jessica Uher. This is not an easy thing (to do).”

There is a sense the girls are dealing with another stereotype every time they wear the uniform — a stereotype that persists despite the team’s high overall grade point average.

“They think since we’re so full of spirit that we must be ditsy,” Philpott said.

“Judge people by their personality, not by what they do,” junior Emily Rice added.

Senior cheerleader Toni Duchemin said she has also felt the stereotype, and said others should understand that her appearance — blond hair, and even the red sports car she drives, should not be considered stereotypical.

“A school without spirit is not a school,” Duchemin said. “There’s a big reputation with cheering but we represent North Kitsap High School. Whatever anyone says about North is a reflection of us.”

Becoming a cheerleader at the high school is quite a process in itself — tryouts start in March, before spring break and the girls are judged by a panel of Kitsap cheer coaches — not the team’s own coach Denise Nelson.

“The girls want (to make the team) more than anything in the entire world,” Nelson said.

“You have to be strong, coordinated, agile, flexible. You do so much more than just cheer,” said senior Allie Lunden.

After practicing in the spring, the team travels in July to National Cheer Association Cheer Camp, where they train at all hours for a week at Eastern Washington University in Ellensburg.

“The girls wake up at 6 a.m.,” Nelson said. “And they go to 11 at night every day.”

Following the camp, five more weeks of practice — three weeks of conditioning and two weeks of mandated state practices — the team is ready for football season.

A team tradition, in which it performs the number of points the Vikings scored in push-ups after every North Kitsap score this season, has the team in top shape, given football’s successes this year.

“We did 197 push-ups in one game,” Duchemin said.

But don’t take the team’s word on how hard their practices and competition schedule are. The results speak for themselves.

“(Football) coach (Jerry) Parrish thought that cheerleaders were weak,” said senior co-captain Jackie Malvey. “He gained respect for us when I took his weight training class and bench pressed 145 pounds.”

Most of the girls on the squad have been cheering since junior high school. Some have aspirations of cheering in college, while others simply enjoy supporting the school.

“I like to stunt, I like the reaction of the crowd,” said Philpott.

“I like being in front of an audience,” junior Alicia Krueger said.

Many on this year’s team also said they believed the team is more of a unit — on and off the courts, fields and mats of competition.

“We’re more united than we’ve been in the past,” said junior Tawny Hildebrand. “I really like what we’ve got: a positive attitude, and much more school morale.”

“I really like how close we are,” said senior Bevin Duncan. “Last year, was more ‘cliquey,’ we just saw each other at practice. This year, we’re all pretty good friends.”

Coach Nelson said she believes that through the hard work and time that goes into cheerleading, the team makes it all worthwhile.

“When they’ve been pills, but then go to a game and you see the joy in their faces and they perform perfectly — you know it’s worth it,” she said.