By KILEY BRANAN – Getting the crowd pumped for football games, having lots of team spirit, and doing flips is what the IHS cheer team is all about. 

“Being on the cheer team is like having a second family,” senior Jordyn Truman says. “When you first walk into cheer tryouts you see strangers, and then you see the strangers become your family. No matter if they win or lose, the team is still a family.” 

Sophomore Abigail Smith explains, “I enjoy spending time with my friends on the team, cheering on the football team, and competing. Cheer is such a fun sport, I enjoy everything about it.”

“It [cheer] is an enjoyable experience.  We work hard to help cheer on the football team, and we learn to work together and help each other,” says sophomore Tori Lloyd

Like in any sport, cheerleaders face challenges too. “Some challenges I face are that I have mental blocks when I try to do a tumbling pass. I am afraid that I am not going to land it, and same goes for a stunt; I get really nervous until it hits,”  expressed Truman.

Challenges are sometimes difficult to face but when with a team that is like a second family where there are always people to help overcome obstacles.

Truman also shares that cheer has taught her some valuable lessons as well. It taught her how to work with others, to have dedication, and how to be part of a team. For example, if someone isn’t there it is difficult to run the drills. These lessons are very useful for playing on a team and for day-to-day things like school.

The students on the cheer team work hard to motivate the players during their games, but also to motivate each other as well. They love being able to get the crowd loud and proud during games, and they love their time together working hard to push themselves, working together to do their best in their competitions. 

Photo by  Erik Puskar

Photo Caption: “ Junior Rikkella Yachisko enjoys cheering the football team on game night.