Hailey Montenegro

Leslie Cruz leads at the homecoming football game with a secret routine

Behind the glitter and pompoms, Cheer makes an undoubtedly exceptional effort on and off the sidelines. They make Friday nights look effortless, but this isn’t a coincidence; it’s a result of hard work. Senior Cheer Captain Alany Trujillo says, “Cheer isn’t just to look pretty, it’s about learning and pushing yourself.” 

A large part of Cheer’s success comes from the cheerfully supportive, family-like community. Trujillo says, “We stay away from cliques,” while Co-Captain Daisy Marin adds, “No drama, we don’t want the team to fall apart, we want a safe space for the girls.” By promoting this kind of environment, cheerleaders feel like they can push themselves and stick together in hard moments. 

Something special to cheer for is their unique traditions. One of these traditions includes the Spirit Stick. Trujillo explains, “We recognize every week, a ‘cheerleader of the week’ that gets posted on Instagram and celebrated”. The Spirit Stick is meant to recognize a noble and enthusiastic cheer student. This tradition promotes unity between the team, a value, according to Captain Alany, that is key to the cheer team. 

Before football games, cheerleaders are encouraged to all get ready together. This is because getting ready together before a football game. Cheer member Julia Andrade details, “We help each other do our hair and make up.” This preparation as a team before the game makes everyone feel excited and ready to cheer together. 

Cheer requires its members to be loud, bright, and excited for the game, but not every game is going to be picture perfect. Marin explains how the team handles this, “when energy is down a lot, cheer’s responsibility is to be encouraging.” This mental game can be tough, especially when the crowd is low, but cheer pushes through together. 

Outside of cheer, the positive attitude doesn’t just go away. “Cheer is to encourage others, so I participate more in class and pep rallies. I’m more outgoing.”, Trujillo says. These lessons of community and confidence come from a unique participation in cheer. From an outside perspective, many may not notice how impactful cheer is behind the scenes, but it is irrefutable how much time and dedication cheer leaders put into carrying the Wolfpack spirit. 

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