While the football team moved down a class, the hopes for victory are high and the cheerleaders have been bringing in the spirit.
Despite it starting last year, they have had lots of success in finding people to join the team. The most recent addition is the inclusion of Junior High Students. There are currently two cheerleading teams here at BSM, a varsity and a building team. These teams have been working hard at practices to perfect their routines. These practices consist of cardio conditioning, stunting, tumbling, and more.
As of this year, the only sport they cheer for is football, but they hope to expand into more sports in the future. “Right now it’s just home football games because we’re just still so new to it and it’s mainly customary for cheerleaders to have sideline cheer. If the program continues to grow maybe we’ll expand into other sports,” sophomore captain Grace Soderling said.
One thing that is a priority for any sport, especially cheerleading, is showing up with a positive mentality. “I feel mainly just showing up with a good attitude and just showing that you care about the team and that you want to be a part of it is mostly all you need. Just a good attitude,” Soderling said.
This team is full of spirit, joy, and hope. Due to cheerleading being a sport dependent on being in sync with the whole team, it’s important to trust your teammates. “We were very close especially in the stunt groups because of the physical responsibility we had. The coach would always say our stunt groups were like family,” former cheerleader Rylee Vieau said.
Cheer promotes positivity and is diverse in age making it easier to grow leadership skills. “It’s so much fun. You make so many new friends and it’s just such an amazing opportunity to grow leadership and some problem-solving and so many other skill sets in other sports without needing as much athleticism. And it’s also a really good opportunity to play a sport that’s low commitment,” Soderling said.
This is a sport where you can grow personally and make connections with others. “High school and middle school can be challenging for everyone, for many different reasons, but cheerleading is a place where you can come and find yourself, your strengths, and your friends you may have otherwise never met,” Head coach Addie Marzinske said.