Credit to Charleigh Olshwanger

Varsity Cheer performs on the sidelines at a basketball game.

105 days. 105 days is the average extent of a high school football season. For those 105 days, players grind daily to sharpen their skills to strengthen themselves and their team. But once the season ends and the clock runs out, their workload eases, but their support system on the sidelines endures the struggle long after the pads come off. Cheer coach Jennifer Scarbrough guides her girls day in and day out to keep tough through a season that feels nearly endless.

“We have tryouts starting in March as soon as basketball season ends, and then we start practice and go through June,” Scarborough said. “We have July off, and we start full throttle on Aug 1 and go all the way through football and basketball season and start it again.” 

In the cheer world, a season spans more than just a couple of months. Most teams are in season for 3-5 months, cheer is in season 90% of the year, non-stop. Cheer also practices around 2-4 times a week, depending on what season they are in and what they have ahead. These practices are usually 2 hours long. Scarborough does her best to help the team and keep them in good spirits, but this season comes with a lot of rewards, but the challenges can stack just as high sometimes.

“Injury prevention is a big challenge, making sure they are gaining strength and keeping grades up at the same time because it truly is a year-long commitment, there really isn’t a break for the cheerleaders,” Scarborough said.

For cheerleaders, the truth is simple: there is barely ever a break, and for these athletes on the mat, the truth is lived, not just spoken. Junior Farrah Sneed has been on the team all 3 years of high school and joined because she loved watching her sister cheer as she grew up and cheered for the Junior Knights teams. While she has a lot of fun on the team and makes the most out of the season, she still feels the aches and pains of the intense schedule.

“I feel like most people think it’s just kind of easy because we do cheers on the sidelines, but it takes a lot more than that,” Sneed said. “It takes a lot of determination because the season is so long, and especially because we stunt. We hold girls up all day, so it’s pretty difficult and takes a lot of strength.” 

Cheering on the sidelines at games isn’t the end of it. On top of supporting the sports here at North, these cheerleaders also have competitions of their own. Competition usually falls on a Saturday in late October, which falls at the end of the football season. This makes practice weeks more intense, but offers a reward for getting through it. 

“I would say competition season is the hardest because we practice 4 days a week and then have to cheer at the football games on Fridays. It really is super tiring and draining, but it pays off in the end because competition is totally worth it,” Sneed said.

While these athletes take on a packed schedule, they do their best to keep a good attitude. Senior captain Reece Arehart has been a part of the program her whole high school experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything. She finds it most important to keep herself in a good headspace through the season in order to lead her team. She feels the struggles as well, but does her best to keep the team in high spirits. 

“When I’m overwhelmed by the team and the schedule, I have to take a second to regulate myself and my emotions, because at the end of the day, I can’t help the team when I am not in a good state of mind,” Arehart said. “ I try and focus on the good parts, especially during competition season when everyone is tired, and just trying to remind everyone why we are here and why we’re doing it.”

These girls have been with each other year-long and this schedule has forced them to build a bond beyond the mat. 

“I feel like being friends with your team really helps maintain the connection and the motivation to go out there and do your best every day,” Sneed said. “ I try and imagine what I would do in my free time without cheer, and I just can’t imagine my life without hanging with my friends from cheer.”