Two-a-days. Cardio. Weight training. Stretching. Nutrition. Learning the playbook. Are you thinking football? Add dance, gymnastics, hair and make-up, pyramids, lifts, and aerials and you have one of the largest sports in the panhandle, the state, and the nation – cheerleading!
Make no mistake, cheerleading is a sport, one that has evolved over the years from standing on the sidelines, waving pom-poms, and reciting cheers. Cheering is equal parts performance and athletic competition, and it takes tremendous preparation to get ready for the Friday night lights.
As prep sports have grown in popularity and become more of an entertainment spectacle, so have the demands and roles of cheerleaders. Just try and imagine a big time rivalry game without them on the sidelines. The athletic ability required to be a cheerleader is on par with that of any other sport. The preparation and training are real. The effort is real. The injuries are real. The rewards are real. Teamwork, camaraderie, winning together, losing together, pride in execution and putting on a great show are all the traits of a championship cheer squad.
In the Game spent some time with cheerleaders from along the Emerald Coast. Gulf Breeze, Fort Walton, and Choctawhatchee High Schools sent team members to share what is required of cheerleaders on game day.
Rabecca Cowen, Senior, Gulf Breeze High School. A cheerleader for seven years, Rebecca depends on lots of practice to stay prepared for the rigors of varsity cheerleading at Gulf Breeze, but she says she wishes there was more time before the start of football season to prepare. Rabecca, a team captain, states that the Gulf Breeze squad is, “just one big family this year” and that the team unity is her favorite aspect of the squad. Her goal for her senior year is, “to enjoy the time with her teammates and make many wonderful memories”.
Skylyr Merchant, Senior, Gulf Breeze High School. While not a big fan of the 8 a.m. stadium workouts, Skylyr says, “the close bond and how much fun the team has” keep her going. Cheering for 11 years, she focuses on tumbling classes and practice to keep her skills sharp. A rising senior at Gulf Breeze, Skylyr is looking forward to the memories the last year of high school will bring. 
Alexa Gaddis, Senior, Fort Walton Beach High School. Alexa says clearly and confidently that her goal for the 2015 season is to, “win the FHSAA Cheerleading Championship”. Her daily routine of practices, tumbling classes, and conditioning make her number-one complaint evident. “The sport is very time consuming”, says the senior at Fort Walton, who also holds down a 3.98 GPA. But Alexa says she knows it’s the dedication to the training and practice that will help make her goal a reality.
Ashley Holz, Senior, Fort Walton Beach High School. Ashley is more than a cheerleader. She can hold her own in the weight room and in flag football. The Fort Walton senior says that she “loves all parts of cheer”. She says the games, the competitions, and the team bonding are her rewards for the extra gymnastics classes and prep clinics. Working hard will lead to her goal for 2015: hitting a clean routine at competitions.
Jesi Harrell, Senior, Fort Walton Beach High School. A rising senior, Jesi’s schedule is full with cheer camps, weightlifting and conditioning, flag football, and tumbling. Her favorite aspect of cheerleading is creating and learning new routines. “Putting things together as a team is great” says Jesi, whose goals for 2015 include a FSHAA State Championship and finishing in the top five at UCA Nationals. She says, the sport, “is time consuming, but worth it”.
Hannah Robertson, Senior, Fort Walton Beach High School. “The feeling I get when I’m on the competition floor is the best aspect of cheering”, says the 2015 Fort Walton Beach squad captain. Preparing all summer with weightlifting, cardio, tumbling, and daily cheer practice, Hannah is looking forward to the pep rallies and football games. Her packed schedule keeps her on the go, and with a goal of being the captain that wins each competition the squad competes in, look for Hannah leading the way this season.
Loren Burkett, Senior, Choctawhatchee High School. Cheering since the age of 4, Loren works extremely hard to prepare for the upcoming season by attending cheer camps, running long distance, and weight lifting, along with routine practices. This senior cheer co-captain, whose squads have finished at the UCA in the top three nationally, proclaims that the hard work is truly worth it. She would know; her squad has raised the FHSAA State Championship trophy for the past three years. Loren’s goal is “to win the State Championship for the fourth consecutive year”. Her hard work is not limited to the gym. In addition to helping create a cheerleading dynasty, Loren has a 3.9 GPA.
Rielly Griggs, Junior, Choctawhatchee High School. Although the endless full-out routines are not something the team co-captain looks forward to, Rielly understands that it is all part of being a member of a championship cheer squad. “Competing and developing family-type relationships with team members” is what motivates her to endure intensive training required by her three-time state championship team. Her goal is that of many high school athletes: to compete for the state championship. 
