The basketball games everyone loves to go to, but where does all the hype come from? Cheerleaders hype up the crowd with their supportive cheers, encouraging our basketball team to keep it going even when they might be failing.
Cheerleaders don’t just support the basketball team, they support each other too. This is what creates beautiful friendships and a big family amongst them. As a senior though, it is hard to learn to leave all of that behind.
Looking into one specific senior Kate Kellum, she has been a cheerleader since her freshman year. She started as a gymnast but sadly got injured. Wanting to continue a competitive sport, she joined cheerleading and became part of the royal’s cheer family. The positive environment and the team’s motivation has kept her going throughout the years.
Being a senior Kellum has begun to reminisce on some of her favorite memories during her time on the cheer team.
“The moments of being on the bus with the team and getting food before games and everyone getting along,” Kellum said.
Like any other sport, there are many challenges and mistakes that you must overcome and learn from. Kellum says one of her hardest challenges to overcome was the mental aspect of the sport. The pressure of dealing with school, practices, games, and competitions create a sense of stress on the cheerleaders. Kellum says she has overcome this challenge through the support of her team and them being there for her through times she has felt stressed or pressured.
Kellum’s experiences and relationships she has formed throughout her four years here has really shaped who she is today. Cheerleading has taught her how to be a better teammate, how to manage her time and basic life and communication skills that she can use forever. The bonds and the best friends she has made is the part that she will miss the most.
Every year, new cheerleaders will come in and join the team. They will learn new things and use the upperclassman for help. Kellum shares her advice to the underclassman for when she leaves.
“Cheerleading is all about how you look at it,” Kellum said. “Every time you think you don’t want to do it, just think about how soon it will all be over and you won’t get another chance. Think about the fact that you get to be there not that you have to be there.”
Cheerleading is a sport where the friendships and learning experiences throughout is what really makes this sport what it is. The bonds that these cheerleaders have formed with each other is something that they will keep in their hearts forever.
