When we talk about spirit, we quickly think about the Cheer Team. They play a big role in representing Wylie High, which a lot goes into making the cheer team our cheer team.
“I keep up with all the different things with cheer by having an organized planner and having punctuality,” Fallon McMurrian (12) said.
It is not always easy. It takes a lot of work and determination from each of the cheerleaders.There schedules can be all over the place.
“We prepare weeks in advance for pep rallies and usually our captain, Helena Tran, will teach us the pep rallies and places where needed. The night before, we stay at the school late to decorate the gym. The day of, we usually get out of class early and we rush to get dressed and get our mats rolled out.We then run the routine a couple of times and then we get ready for the students to come in,” Danielle Evang (12) said.
“We prepare for pep rallies by getting the routine from our amazing captain Helena. And we practice usually from 3:30 p.m to 5:00 p.m, running some full outs and fixing technique, ”said McMurrian.
Plus they have to make sure that everything is ready and packed for a long, but fun day.
“Well for starters… water is a necessity for sure! I usually pack my makeup bag just in case anything gets dull or I need a touch up. I pack my wallet for a snack during half time, my pom poms, some toiletries, and an extra change of clothes.” Evang said.
Learning and performing, it’s not everything they do but they spend their time together in different and fun ways.
“On long away games, the team likes to play Among Us and chill on the bus with each other for fun,” Helena Tran, varsity cheer captain (12) said.
Also included in that fun comes with some cheer traditions.
“One unique tradition we do have is doing a gift exchange with the other teams’ cheerleaders and playing fun games with them,” McMurrian said.
At the end of the day, after a long game day, everybody needs some rest and that may look a bit different for the cheerleaders.
“Definitely take a long shower and fill my belly. I like to take a hot shower and clean my room and light a candle so I can have a good night’s sleep and just relax. I’ll also turn on an episode of Dance Moms or two,” Evang said.
Ultimately, the time and effort the varsity cheerleaders put in to create their wonderful and cheerful performances and stunts is amazing to do with all the things they do and their schedules. It’s all in the day in the life as a varsity pirate cheerleader.