Cheerleaders are a group of individuals who, for a long time, have not always been seen in the best light due to the way society has been taught to view them. Rather than seeing how hard they work to do what they do; society sees them as stuck up, preppy girls due to pop culture representing them poorly; however, not only are they dedicated to society, but also to their sport.
“I’ve been cheering at Plant for all three years, but I’ve been doing competitive cheer for 10 years,” junior Julia Mann said.
The cheerleaders practice for two hours on Monday and Wednesday, working on their routines for the games. Even though this is a lot of time dedicated to their sport, it does not even account for how much time some of them spend on their own cheer teams.
“It was a challenge, and I wanted to become good at something that came with working hard and being with a team” junior Caitlyn Dellegatto said.
Cheer is an intense, competitive sport with complex routines the girls have to memorize for their competitions.
“[The most rewarding feeling as a cheerleader is] going to a competition and getting first place and working hard, being with your team and getting that feeling of winning first place,” junior Jenna Curl said.
Their hard work is often overlooked, which is a poor representation of the message that these girls are trying to get out every time they stand in front of crowds.
“When I was little, I would always say ‘cheerleading is a sport, it’s so hard,’ because nobody really realizes how difficult it is to do a whole routine and be smiling and performing the whole time,” senior Talley Murphy said.
Cheerleaders are very active in societal events as well, and their involvement in these events shows the character these girls have and how much positivity they give out.
“Last year, we did a Best Buddies Friendship Walk,” Coach Louise Yergey said. “Basically, that was creating a team [and] raising money. We do various community service projects…usually walks, volunteering, and work with younger kids. We do a camp for them occasionally throughout the years.”
Even without their fellow cheerleaders at their sides, the girls always, like other teens, strive to make a difference in their communities. Assumptions against these girls are constantly made, and having to deal with those negative comments makes them even stronger of people.
“I just got back from a mission trip in Haiti, and we helped feed them and clothe them, and I taught an English class there,” Mann said.
The cheerleaders are heavily involved with the Best Buddies, constantly getting them involved in the games, setting a good example for all high school sports programs.
“We do PAW Prints, which is where the Best Buddies cheer with us during the first quarter of games, and it’s really fun because they have a great time, and they look forward to it all week, and it is very rewarding and awesome,” Murphy said.
The stereotype is not only bad because it isn’t true, but also because it has a negative impact on the girls who are always supporting everybody and pushing people to the best of their abilities.
“I’ve personally been called a ‘typical cheerleader’ as an insult which is not okay because cheerleaders, especially on our team, are smart, nice, funny and involved in so many other things,” Dellegatto said. “We are all very well rounded.”
Compared to how pop culture has made them seem, cheerleaders truly are great people with great intentions.