The Cheerleading Life
by Ashley Hoferer
March 19, 2008
“Cheerleading can be positive in the fact of being able to show leadership and spirit for the teams; however, it involves a great time commitment, and being at every game can become a lot,” said sponsor Mrs. Fran Pytleski. Cheerleading also entails vigorous tryouts, the squad that cheerleaders spend many hours with during the seasons, timely practices, fees, and the bonding experience of summer cheer camp.
To be a cheerleader, a student can try out her eighth grade year. This would title her as a freshman cheerleader. In order to try out, she must have a partner. The girls learn a dance, some chants, and three cheers. Two of the cheers include movement, and for the last cheer, movements are choreographed by the pair of girls. Practices start on Monday morning at 7:00 o’clock and run for one hour every morning through Thursday. On Friday morning at 7:30, a practice session is held. At 4:00 that day in the multipurpose room the tryouts begin.
The pairs of girls get numbers for the order in which they will perform. The first half of the group performs the dance in two lines and then switches front line to back for the judges to see everyone. The second half then performs the same thing. After the dance, the girls perform their cheers in pairs in their number order. After all groups have performed, the judges put their scores into the computer to announce the fall and winter cheerleaders. Ten cheerleaders are selected for each season, fall and winter. A girl can cheerlead for both fall and winter, or she can cheer for either one. Thus, the number of cheerleaders can range from ten to twenty.
After cheerleaders are chosen, their first meeting generally discusses summer practices and summer camp. During the summer, the cheerleaders go to a college camp to stay for three days in June. In the three days, the girls learn a number of cheers and a few dances to take home. The team creates a pom routine to perform the first night. To perfect that dance, cheerleaders spend hours before camp, practicing stiffness and timing. During these practices the girls also decide on two camp outfits. This price is included in the fee for bloomers, shoes, poms, under shirt, and a tote bag if wanted. The fee for new members is around three hundred dollars; however, after being a cheerleader one year, the cost goes down to about one hundred dollars.
After learning all of the cheers, dances, and sideline chants, the cheerleaders perform them and get judged on them. This past year the Pierce cheerleaders won third place in the dance and first in the cheer at camp. Other than those awards, the Pierce girls have also received the leadership award, the traditional award, superior ribbons, and the “loved banana, Bobo,” the spirit award.
Additional practices are mandatory on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 once school starts.
Once the sport seasons begin, cheerleaders perform at as many as four games a week. Games are at home and away for football and volleyball, and then girls’ and boys’ basketball. They also attend at least one cheerleading contest.
Senior Cara Schultz, captain and four year cheerleader, said that cheerleading “has been a great opportunity to be part of such a strong squad.” She added, “The best memories I will always have from cheerleading, without a doubt, are from the fun times at cheer camp.”
This year, like other years, the senior cheerleaders will be part of the judging panel for new cheerleaders. They will also take part in the tryouts by creating the dance and choosing the cheers to teach.
Practices for the 2008-2009 tryouts start in the morning on March 31, and the tryouts will be on Friday, April 4 at 4:00 in the multi-purpose room at the high school.
