Sam Stoner
Sports Editor
@sstonercourant
Motivation throughout many team sports is built around the hope of winning the game as a unit. As an individual, it’s about giving it your all and occasionally making a big play. However, in the sport of cheerleading, the goal of the team is to work together to support the cheer squad’s respective sports team. Like all other team sports, each person must do their part to contribute to the team, but there are no individual big plays; there are only team moments.
Senior co-captain Ashley Verissimo-Pinto says the incentive to do well is not based on the thought of winning, but rather the idea of preparing to get everyone involved in the act of cheering for their school. “Because we are not competing, we do not have that pressure of having to do everything exactly right or making sure everything hits,” Ashley said. “But we do have that pressure of learning the cheers for football.”
Junior and future captain Lauren Meyers feels that cheerleading is hard because for the team to succeed, each individual must do their job correctly. “The team depends on each member to do the cheer correctly and not mess it up,” Lauren said.
Senior co-captain Tanaijah Carrafiello thinks that the school benefits from the cheer squad because the members do a good job representing NCHS and boosting school spirit. The team is seen not only during the fall on the football field, but also during the winter on the basketball court. “We are a good face for the school and are one of the teams who is seen a lot,” Tanaijah said.
Ashley believes that the football team gains a great deal from the cheerleaders as they do many things to support the team throughout the season. “We benefit them a lot,” Ashley said. “We get them pumped up for games, leave inspirational notes when we decorate their locker room and bake for them.”
Tanaijah also feels that the cheer squad helps the football team. “Some of the boys say they like to hear our cheers and find it funny sometimes, so they enjoy it and appreciate the things we do outside of cheering at the games,” Tanaijah said. “We are definitely a big contribution to the team and the way they play during games.”
Because helping the football team is part of the season, Ashley feels that people overlook the athletic ability that goes into the sport of cheerleading. “I never realized how much athleticism is put into it. A sport is considered anything where you propel through air and time, and because we’re propelling females into the air, we are a sport, and people don’t realize that,” Ashley said.
Tanaijah also thinks that the athleticism that is needed for cheerleading is forgotten, and believes that it is as dangerous as other more popular sports. “A sport is
something that you’re being active in. In cheerleading, you’re throwing bodies up in the air and catching them and putting yourself in as much danger as you would in football or basketball,” Tanaijah said.
Ashley says that because the girls do not compete during the fall season, they have more time to have fun and form team bonds before the competitive winter season rolls around. “I try to have fun with my girls more than anything else because during the day we have school, and I do not want them to come to practice thinking it’s a job,” Ashley said. “I want them to come to practice and have fun because we are their second family.”
Tanaijah also admires how everyone respects each other and forms strong relationships. “We spend a lot of time together which allows us to make that tight-knit connection which we all have,” Tanaijah said. “We talk to each other like a family about personal things so it’s kind of like the way someone would talk to their sibling.”
Lauren thinks that because of the family-like atmosphere of the team, cheerleading is a great sport to try even if someone does not know much about it. “We’re all sisters, and you never know if you’ll like it,” Lauren said. “It’s good to try it out, and it’s really fun.”
Ashley thinks that the relations the athletes make during the fall are some of the most important aspects of the season, and helps the team get along throughout the seasons. “I love cheerleading because of the bond I have with my team. I didn’t realize how much of a family you become. We’re very intertwined,” Ashley said.
