From stunting to chanting to pom poms, becoming a high school cheerleader is a dream for many young girls. But what is it really like behind the scenes? Freshmen Regan Umbarger, AK Marquette and Cassidy Julian shared their thoughts regarding this high-intensity sport.

There is a stereotype around being a cheerleader.

“I feel like in the movies they’re always the dumb blonde but really we are all pretty smart,” Julian said. “It does take a lot to be a cheerleader actually.” 

There are a lot of difficult practices and other activities that the squad has to plan for.

“There are lots of practices and time commitments and volunteering that we have to do.” Marquette said.

One of the most important parts of being a part of the team is the relationship between the teammates. The girls agreed that they have great relationships with everyone on the team.

“Yeah, I’ve made a lot of new friends, especially since we’re freshmen coming in from Lakewood and Pleasant Ridge together, it really helps with the friendship part of it all.” Julian said.

Though most of the time the girls are having fun while doing what they love, times can get tough.

“Sometimes it can be difficult if we do have more than one game per night since we have a lot of homework,” Marquette said.

With good time management, the girls were able to find success.

“You just have to make sure you have a balance of time for homework and other stuff while doing cheer,” Umbarger said.

Having spirit is one of the most important parts of being a cheerleader. During game days or assemblies the squad is required to wear their uniform around school.

“It gives you a little bit of a confidence boost you know,” Julian said. “It feels good to be walking around showing school spirit.”

Now that the girls are on the squad they are inspired to make it out to more school events to show more school spirit.

“It makes us want to go to a lot of the varsity games and just be able to experience that,” Marquette said.

Becoming a high school cheerleader has been a life-changing experience for all the girls.

“It’s nice to walk around and know that you’re a part of something,” Umbarger said.

These girls are making memories they will remember for a lifetime.

“It’s been so fun,” Julian said. “We started out with camp, that was a blast, and we’ve done all the assemblies and games. It’s really fun.”