Before the football game on Sept. 22, 56 elementary girls — the Derby junior cheerleaders — performed a cheer routine at their first varsity game while the Derby High School cheerleaders watched.

Coach Hanna Nottingham started the program to give cheerleaders a head start.

“I wanted to start this program so girls can get the experience of cheerleading at a young age to be more prepared for middle school and high school cheerleading if it’s something they want to do,” Nottingham said.

To make sure every girl had an opportunity to participate, the program offers scholarships.

The new program also provides more support for the junior football players.

“Football is a big thing in Derby, so our junior football players deserve to have some cheerleaders as well to encourage them and keep the crowd excited,” Nottingham said.

The junior cheerleaders perform at every Saturday junior football game, cheering throughout the game and doing a routine during halftime, including tumbling, stunts and activities involving the crowd.

“We do crowd involvement cheers, as in getting the crowd to stand up, and getting the crowd to yell with us, as in ‘we say green, you say white, we say Panthers, you say fight,’” Nottingham said. “Then we also pass out cowbells to the crowd so people can make some noise for the Panthers.”

When the junior football players walked across the field on Sept. 22, the junior cheerleaders followed behind, doing their own performance during the pregame.

“I thought their performance went quite well for their ages,” freshman cheerleader Danielle Wheeler said. “Their stunts hit adorably, and they cheered so well.”

Nottingham added: “(Sept. 22) was the first varsity game we had ever done, and the girls loved it.”

The high school cheerleaders helped junior cheerleaders.

“As everything was happening after pregame — which is normally a little chaotic for us, anyway — we tried to explain everything to them as we went along, kind of like step-by-step instructions,” Wheeler said.

There is more to follow from the junior cheerleaders — they will cheer at every home football game.

“If anything, their presence made me more excited to cheer for our high school team,” Wheeler said. “I think it affected my performance in a positive way, like pregame went smoother and more fun for the crowd after the junior cheerleaders did their routine.”

Nottingham is amazed at what the junior cheerleaders have done so far in their once-a-week practices.

“I could cry tears of joy because I am so proud and honored to be their coach,” Nottingham said. “They have worked so hard, and I love seeing their team work and dedication. It’s also amazing to see new friendships be built and so many memories being made.”