Cheerleaders are the core to bring spirit and pride into the school, especially during football season. Cheerleaders are the force behind planning pep rallies, decorating the locker room, planning game and homecoming themes, and more. So how does a small group of girls motivate a whole school?
Pep rallies are a lot of fun, but they are also a lot of work. The cheerleaders are responsible for picking the dates and games that are played at the pep rallies. They also have to find participants for the games, decide if the band is going to play and how long the events will run. Even with all this work the cheerleaders have a good time getting everyone together.
One senior, Nora Lewis, says, “The pep rallies get me really excited for the games and I love being at them with all my friends. I also love the games, they are always so fun. My favorite part though, is participating and cheering on my friends at the pep rallies. I wish we had more of them.”
As you can see, these pep rallies get everyone excited. The students and staff love to cheer on their peers and students, and it is a time that really brings everyone together. It encourages people to come to the game and support the Lakeview Bulldogs as they take on whatever team they play that week.
The cheerleaders also motivate the team before their games. One way they do this is by decorating the locker room for big games. The night before some games, the cheerleaders make and hang signs, hang up streamers, and occasionally put out candy or balloons.
It brings the whole cheer squad together, but more importantly gets the boys excited and pumped up for the game they are about to play.
Another way cheerleaders get the student section or younger kids ready for the football season is by making the themes for the games. The senior cheerleaders collaborate with the student section leaders on what themes to do and what games they should do those themes. After that they make signs for each game that correspond with the theme of that game.
Senior student section leader, Evan Hawn, states, “Planning the themes is lots of fun. It lets us do what we want to do and when we want to do it. It also got us hyped up for the games before the season even started. It gets us talking with others about what we should wear and what we should bring to the games to show our support.”
Just like making the themes for the games, the cheerleaders make the themes for the week of homecoming. The cheerleaders come together and discuss what they believe people will participate in and what people like. They then either make the sign themselves or ask others to contribute and make it for them.
Freshman Zarina Candor says that, “I love participating in the themes. I like to plan out what I am going to wear with my friends. I also get super excited for the homecoming game and homecoming when these themes come out. I like to get everything together and stay on top of things, so when the theme comes out, it is like I can plan what I am going to wear for the whole week and even for the homecoming game!”
All of these are ways the cheerleaders hype up the school and get the school and players pumped up for the games. They try to encourage everyone to participate in the school spirit. It is really a way to motivate the school to come to the games, get people involved, and pump up school spirit, which is really what being a cheerleader is all about.
