The winter sports season means a change of pace for the cheerleaders. Instead of cheering on the football field, they are cheering on the basketball court and wrestling mat. 

“I really like cheering for wrestling. It’s such a small group of people, so you get really close,” Anna Gayley ‘22 said.

During the week, the cheerleading team practices twice and attends basketball games and wrestling meets four days. Long hours of practice and a lot of time spent together builds bonds within the team. 

“[During the] football season, people are definitely close but we’re not as close as we get [during the] winter season,” Gayley said.

The team also spends time together outside of practice developing the trust that is required for some of their stunts.

“We do a lot of team bonding activities. We went over to one of the captain’s houses and we just watched a movie and hung out,” Gayley said. 

According to the cheerleaders, the sport requires constant focus and attention. In cheerleading, flyers are lifted into the air in stunts. Flys are risky and can become dangerous if someone is unprepared.

“It’s also challenging because there’s a lot of things that can go wrong,” Gayley said. “If one person doesn’t know what they’re doing, then you’re going to fall.” 

Each of the over 30 cheers are only slightly different, which is cause for concern among some of the cheerleaders.

“[Wrestling cheer has] a lot of rhythmic activities. We sit on the mat and pound what we call beats,” head coach Kelsey Harrison explained.

Kelsey Harrison cheered at City High from 2012 to 2016, volunteered for the former head cheerleading coach, and is now a head coach.

“City cheerleading is a really good way to express yourself. We’re a really welcoming environment. We love new people and new skills. Anybody can try out,” Harrison said.