Game days can be one of the most exciting days for students, but a lot of organization comes into play. It may seem that the preparation isn’t too hard, but it takes much work and practice.
“We have to be ready at the stadium at 7am sharp so I usually wake up at 5am to be safe,” says Lydia Asfaw (12).
“Game days bring a lot of excitement and sometimes a little chaos, especially if there is a pep rally,” says Kaitlyn Carroll (12).
They have to be prepared for anything that they will ultimately need for the whole day.Morning practice is only a little bit of what they do on a game day and to prepare for what comes.
“I pack my uniform, hat, belt boots, a trash bag and clear covers, in case it rains, makeup, hair products, team jacket, earrings, water bottle, stadium seat, and my baton,” says Carroll.
Every pep rally brings different dances by the Pacesetters that they learn beforehand. It is something that is exciting for everyone to see and shows how the school spirit of AMHO can be brought out.
“Each pep rally is a different routine for the main performance. It is usually the whole team but sometimes it can be smaller groups or it can be just officers, so it is really fun to see what each pep rally brings,” Asfaw says.

It may seem that they would have so little time to learn all their routines but they got ahead of the schedule and learned ahead of time.
“Since we learned all of the dances we began drilling those immediately after in our morning practices Monday through Friday,” Asfaw said.
“To stay prepared we work on multiple dances at a time or practice future field dances and pep rally dances while also working on the one for that week,”said Carroll.
The team as a whole brings out their best performance, but before anything, they have a moment as a team before they go on.
“We have a tradition where we always do a prayer circle and our signature team chant before we go on,” Asfaw said.
After the long day that the Pacers have, they all do something a little different after the game that went on that night. The leftover energy that they have, they like to spend it a few ways.
“And if I have any leftover energy, I’ll try to go out and get ice cream or something, but if not, I will be seen rushing home to my very comfy bed,” said Asfaw.
Ultimately, the Pacesetters have a big role on what goes on a typical game day and the great amount of work and preparation they do to be ready for any performance that they might have.