MORE THAN JUST POM POMS

For years students have attended football games to watch the Chargers take on the field. What many students disregard, though, is the cheer team on the sidelines. These girls work for hours on end after school to perfect their jumps, flips and routines to perform at games and pep rallies.

However, the cheerleaders participate in much more than football games and pep rallies. The competition squad competes against other schools in statewide and national competitions. During the competition season, they, “…had practice every single day and a competition almost every weekend,” cheerleader, Jenna Yassine said. They participate in conditioning and team building activites during practice as well. The team works equally as hard as any other athlete at school.

Also, the cheer team is rarely recognized for the awards and titles that they have won. During the 2018 school year, they have won first and second place at some of the local competitions against other schools. “We won third in the state and fourth in the nation,” according to Yassine. These titles are very admirable for both the cheerleading squad and the school. The team does not cease to impress us. Cheerleader Jaden Bartick expresses the road to winning a national title as, “Invigorating yet extremely reward to me and my team in the end.” Cheerleaders also face the same challenges as other student athletes at the school. They learn to balance school and athletics in their daily lives. Yassine said that, “It is very hard to learn to balance my studies, but so worth it because it built teamwork and a family at school.” This hard work of the cheer squad go should not go unnoticed.

Their hard work in both academics and athletics proves their position as student athletes at school. Whether is it keeping the crowd hyped on the sidelines, performing at pep rallies or winning competitions, the cheerleaders never fail to show their talent and athleticism to the school.