While sideline cheer is an important part of cheerleading, the competitive side is one that is often forgotten.
“I think the biggest misconception [is that] cheerleading is seen as a way of pumping up the crowd, like a pep rally, when cheerleaders have advanced athletic skill,” varsity cheerleading coach Jen Johnson said.
Unlike other sports, cheer competitions come down to a single two and a half minute performance.
“People only see the game aspect,” senior captain Skyler Lange said. “They don’t see how we practice every school day for three hours and weekends for four hours just to compete for two and a half minutes. They don’t see how hard we work for competition. They only see us perform at games.”
Stunting towards success
The cheer team practices the five major aspects of competitive cheer every day during practice: stunting, tumbling, jumps, cheer and dance.
I hope students think that cheerleaders are just as skilled as other athletes at McLean and are respected as role models for the school and the community
Johnson said. This year the squad has three male members who allow the team to perform more difficult and elaborate stunts.
“Coach Johnson, who was my history teacher sophomore year, pushed me towards doing cheer and encouraged me to try it,” senior captain Jack Saunders said. “Once I did, I fell in love with it immediately.”
Ever since finishing third in the Liberty Conference Semi-Finals last year, the squad has been striving to be more competitive and to gain recognition from the student body.
I think people don’t take us as seriously as we would like them to
Lange said. “This year we are trying to change the name so people see how hard we work and how good of a squad we can be.”
