The Oxford High School Varsity Competitive Cheer team is hoping to leap to the top of its division this season and has been practicing hard to make it happen, according to Head Coach Christie DeSano.

The Lady Cats are bringing 17 dedicated members to the floor in the 2017-18 season.

Those members love what they do, according to DeSano, and it shows in their continued participation in competitive cheerleading.

Thirteen of those members moved up from the sideline cheer team last season, while the rest are returning from the junior varsity team.

Leading the team this season are junior captains Olivia Tressler, Skylar Enyart and Brenna Maurer.

DeSano’s goals for 2017 are for the team to secure the Division 1 regional title and to move up in state ranking.

While DeSano said each of the team’s members offer unique qualities which could help the Lady Cats achieve that goal, she added that freshman Caylee Campbell is definitely one young member competitors should keep an eye on.

“Caylee has been working so hard this season and we are lucky to have her,” added DeSano.

The Wildcats offer a host of young talents, she added, who excel at both stunts and tumbling.

The team will be competing hard this season and are scheduled to compete every weekend without a break from Jan. 6 through Feb. 17.

But despite the rapid-fire pace of these upcoming competitions during the season, DeSano said the Lady Cats will not tire and that the team will not allow the performance of other division 1 teams affect its drive.

“This season our theme is ‘believe in blue,” DeSano explained. “The thought process behind this theme is that we believe in our school, our team and what our athletes can do. It’s really easy to look at other teams and say, “wow they’re so good, we want to be like them.” In order the change that mentality we have to focus on our team’s strengths and abilities. In our Round One we say, ‘We’ll be us, you be you’ as a reminder to not let other teams cloud our vision.”

The team will kick-off its scheduled list of competitions on Saturday, January 6 at Troy Athens High School (4333 John R Rd, Troy) at 1 p.m.

For updates on the team, DeSano welcomes people to follow the Lady Cat’s Instagram throughout the season at “oxfordvarsitycheer.”