For the first time since 2017, a male cheerleader has joined the squad.
Freshman Sam Hill said he was apprehensive about cheerleading try-outs as he has little prior experience.
“This is my first year of cheerleading. I was very nervous to try out for the team; I didn’t think I would make it,” Hill said.
Hill said his friendships with his teammates help him feel comfortable and have an excellent experience on the team.
“[My experience on the team] has been really good actually because a lot of the cheerleaders on the team I am very good friends with. If people were being mean to me about [cheer] who don’t do cheer, my team has my back on that one,” Hill said.
JV Cheer Coach Lindsay Reed said that having Hill on the squad prompts new opportunities concerning stunts as well as the overall spirit.
“Having Sam on the team is great. He allows us to try new partner stunts which we wouldn’t be able to do without him. He adds a layer of enthusiasm that brings the team together. He is also able to add his personal touch to cheers with his megaphone which he loves,” Reed said.
Hill said it can be worrisome being the only guy cheering in front of so many staring people, however it can also be rewarding when people enjoy his performance.
“It feels really nerve racking [to be the only male cheerleader] because when I cheer I don’t like people staring at me. When people stare at me I feel like they are just judging the entire time but it’s also really fun when people are happy when I do certain things like at the pep rally when I did my shoulder sit, people really enjoyed that,” Hill said.
Hill said it can be easy to be singled out and judged for stereotypes concerning cheerleading.
“You get picked on easily by a lot of people for being a guy doing cheer because [some] people think it’s girly but a lot of the things I do don’t really have to be girly. It’s really just getting picked on, other than that I have no struggles,” Hill said.
Reed said the team runs the same with Hill as it did with a team of all girls. She hopes more boys and people in general will join cheer in the future.
“I don’t think there really is a difference. Working with all girls or a mixture of individuals isn’t really that different. We all focus on the same skills, and we all have a common goal. We hope anyone interested in cheerleading considers trying out. The more the better,” Reed said.