High school football games are filled with lots of excitement—the bright lights, the intense game, and the cheerleaders chanting. Students may not realize the crucial role cheerleaders play in the overall feeling of the game and the work they put into keeping the bleachers energized.
Despite the common misconception that cheerleading isn’t a sport, the team works hard to create a perfect performance.
“People tend to think that school cheer is not a sport and that it’s not hard at all, but there’s a huge amount of work and practice that we’ve put into all our performances,” JV cheerleader Julianne Moats said. “We try to make it look easy so that it’s clean. Most people don’t see how much work we put into all the performances we do.”
The result of the hard work the team puts in is the fostering of school spirit. Cheerleaders serve as a voice for school spirit and encourage others to take pride in the pride.
“Our girls and boys are very good at being ambassadors for spirit and for showing how much you should care about what goes on at school,” cheer coach Cristal Maddox said. “They’re essential, because they’re kind of the ones along with our dance team that are the spirit leaders of the team of the school.”
Not only does cheering help create spirit in the student body, but also helps the cheerleaders develop important life skills.
“Cheer has brought me to learn a lot more about life in general,” freshman cheerleader Mason Myers said. “How being a team-player is super important to being a good teammate. It’s taught me tons of leadership roles and how to just be a more positive person.”
Cheer has created a positive impact on some Reedy cheerleaders; however, a significant drawback to cheering is the constant injuries cheerleaders face.
“We get a ton of injuries,” JV cheerleader Lauren Smith said. “Right now I have a mostly fractured back which I already fractured in 2020. It’s hard dealing with constant injuries but thinking positively has helped me overcome them.”
While cheering can be very dangerous, numerous Reedy cheerleaders find that their love of the sport is what keeps them going.
“I’ve gotten hurt a lot,” Moats said. “It always sucks when you get hurt since you’re out for a pretty long time. But once you get back, it’s a really wholesome moment because you’re finally back in the sport you love.”
Despite the challenges and frequent injuries faced by cheerleaders, cheer provides players with a meaningful opportunity. The support and friendship among Reedy cheerleaders play a crucial role in their ability to overcome adversity.
“I’ve made friends, like lifelong friends, and I’ve learned important lessons in cheer,” freshman cheerleader Madeline Belkin said. “It literally is a built-in family. It gives you a different life experience that you wouldn’t get to have if you weren’t on the cheer team.”
