Being a cheerleader at a school where football is the most important sport can be very challenging. Normally, the cheerleaders don’t get enough recognition for all of the effort and they put into doing their stunts and routines. Their talents will always amaze people, and all of the little things are planned to make for a great performance.
I talked to some of the Rochester High School Cheerleaders to get a better look into what all of the cheerleaders really do, and how stressful cheerleading can be. I talked to Liliana Marchioro, one of the cheerleader co-captains, Audrey Lowder, a third-year cheerleader, and Madelyn Killion, also a third-year cheerleader. I asked them all the same questions to get a different perspective on what really goes on while they cheer on the sidelines.
“Football.” That was the answer that I got from all of the girls when I asked if they preferred cheering at Basketball or football games. I followed up by asking them why football was their favorite, and Audrey told me, “I feel like that atmosphere is better, and like more people come!” Hearing this, we can see why football is so popular and that the girls love cheering because of the high energy and environment at these games.
One of the amazing routines that cheerleaders do is their big cheer/dance routines during the homecoming game and pep assembly! These routines are so well thought out and impressive; stunts, dance breaks, and tumbling are three major parts of these. I asked how they all felt about these routines, and I was told very different answers. From Liliana (the co-captain), I heard, “Those are stressful. This year, I had to make the routine because I’m a senior. It definitely takes a lot of time and effort to create them.” While from Madelyn I heard, “I want to cry every time! But I like them because we get to show off things we can do.” And, Lastly, Audrey told me that “I love it! I literally love it so much! It’s really fun because it isn’t just cheer, but it’s also dance, and tumbling.” I really saw the different perspectives of these intense routines because I saw the sides of seniors and juniors, and one of the girls who choreographed the routine.
Pushups.
Pushups are such a fun visual that the cheerleaders do to celebrate their team’s touchdown. If the score is 28, then the girls will do 28 pushups! Many girls absolutely hate these pushups because the track is very rough and hurts, and pushups are really hard. But, Liliana, wow. She is so so impressive when it comes to pushups. Every time she does them, I’m so impressed because I don’t know how someone could be that good and have such good form on their pushups, so I asked. I could tell that she had been asked this many times because she giggled when I asked, but then went on to tell me that “I’m not going to say that it was all cheer, because I’ve highkey been dancing all my life, so I gotta give some credit to Ms. J! I guess they are just good because I keep doing them..” Hearing this, I understood that it really was the strength that she has built up, and she puts in hard work not only at cheer but at dance, too.
Being a cheerleader has its pros and cons, like not being able to see the game, because all of the players block their way, never getting to be in the student section, and, of course, the pushups. But at the same time, having a big group of girls that you can laugh with and make memories with is also so important. I could see how much they really do love standing on the sidelines and cheering. Being a cheerleader isn’t just about being pretty and peppy, but having so much dedication and a good work ethic to challenge yourself and put on a show for everyone in the stands.