As Selma High’s last home game approaches on the 17th of October, the cheer team prepares to stunt on the crowd Friday night. The cheerleaders and coaches have had hectic schedules over the past weeks to create an atmosphere filled with spirit for the football team and fans.
Senior Co-Captain Alexis Aguilera is in her fourth year of cheering, and for this season, she is hoping to learn a lot of fun dances.
“Before a game, I like to have music on when I’m getting ready. I also like to say a personal prayer for myself, and then my team usually does a team prayer before we start to cheer,” states Alexis.
Not only does Alexis physically prepare, but they focus on preparing mentally for their game day. During practices leading up to game day, the team exercises their skills to perfect them for their routine.
“I feel like we’re really strong in dancing this year. We have a lot of great dancers that use facials and smiles,” adds Alexis.
Alexis reveals that she loved to dance growing up, so this hobby grew side-by-side with her. Then, coming into her first year of High School, she decided to expand her love for dancing by trying out for the cheerleading team. Now in her last year of cheer as a Senior, Aleixs cherishes her time she has left with the team and being an SHS cheerleader.
Senior Captain Alyssa Sanchez is in her twelfth year of cheerleading. For four years, Alyssa has been on Varsity for SHS’s cheer team. For eight years, she cheered for the city’s youth cheer team. Alyssa holds a handful of experiences in cheerleading, holding her spot as captain of the team.
“I prepare for a game by listening to music that I like. Music keeps me calm when I am anxious, and it gets me hyped when I need it the most,” expresses Alyssa.
Alyssa and Alexis share similar priorities when it comes to preparing for the big day. Music holds a huge spot in Alyssa’s life, whether it’s during a performance or hyping her up to encourage the crowd to be hyped as well. One goal Alyssa has for this season is to achieve as many new stunts as possible and new dances for halftime performances.
“My favorite thing about my cheer team is that we are all so close, we are one big family. We may have our ups and downs, good days and bad days, but we always push through it no matter what,” says Alyssa.
Alyssa shares that it is important that a cheer community is closely bonded because it enhances the experience of cheerleading. She explains that her team pushes through bad and good, but that is also something they have come to be good at. As a captain, Alyssa takes priority of her team being well bonded and surrounding their atmosphere with positivity, while having fun.
Selma High School’s cheer advisor, Ann Fester, shares that the season for the girls has been going great. Although it’s been extremely busy with weekly practices and games.
“We prepare by conditioning and perfecting halftime dances, sidelines, cheers, and stunts,” said Ms. Fester.
While focused on the physical aspect of cheerleading, Ms. Fester adds that the cheerleaders bond by dressing up for fun occasions. Fester explains that several cheer moms prepare a dinner for cheerleaders, coaches, and cheer advisors before a home game. These kinds of things tend to set a positive mood before a game for the whole team, says Ms. Fester.
“In 2016, the International Olympic Committee designated Cheerleading as a Sport. To my coach and myself, it is very important that cheer is recognized as a Sport, not a club,” mentions Fester.
