At first glance, Cheerleading looks straightforward and effortless, but behind the perfect timing and captivating stunts is an unwavering drive that makes our cheerleaders some of the most disciplined athletes at Liberty High School.
When most people think of cheerleaders, they often envision performers with high energy on the sidelines smiling and dancing. They envision those who lead chants to excite a crowd. However, there’s more to cheer than most people realize. There is a lot of hard work and dedication, along with hours of practice.
Junior Kylie Christiensen stated, “I feel like people really don’t realize how hard cheer is mentally and physically, it has one of the highest injury rates in all sports and we practice all the time.”
As stated by junior Briyanna Robinson, cheerleading is “definitely a lot of hard work. It’s more than just cheering on the sidelines. It’s about representing our school.”
According to freshman Kaylee Suarez, a typical day at practice goes like this; “Usually we warm up, then practice our dance for any events coming up, like homecoming, and then if we’re tumbling, we’ll tumble for the last hour. If we’re not tumbling, then we’ll practice our competition routine and then condition a little bit.”
A big part of cheerleading that most are unfamiliar with are the competitions. Senior Bunny Rhodes explained a typical day at a competition; “Competition day starts with all cheerleaders meeting at the location of the comp depending on the time we take the floor […] After time passes we go to warm-ups and go through each section of our routine, band chant, situational cheer, cheer, and lastly fight song. Then we take the floor.”
When asked about the goals for the Lancer Cheer team this season, Christensen offered, “This year for high school cheer we are planning on going to nationals which is super exciting and is going to be a great experience!”
Additionally, one of the biggest payoffs of cheerleading are the connections built with the team through it. A strong sense of trust and respect is a crucial aspect for any team to be successful.
Christiensen said, “I feel like being a part of a team is the best part of cheer, it teaches you valuable lessons because everyone depends on everyone and you have to do your part to succeed.”
Another fundamental aspect of any successful team is the coaches. Suarez shared that Coach Karissa and Coach Nikita both help the team with tumbling. Assistant Coach Taylor Council offers the cheerleaders helpful guidance and advice. Last but not least, Head Coach Nikkole Weir encourages the team and makes sure they have everything they need to perform their best.
As a new addition to the team this year, Robinson said, “This is my first year cheering […] it’s definitely made me more confident and more involved in doing stuff for the school.”
Finally, Rhodes, who is a captain of the team, shared some of their accomplishments from the 2024-2025 season, “Last season, the team won our first League title, and placed 6th in the state. Last season we made a lot of accomplishments and this season we plan to make more and grow.”
