The Cheerleaders of the Future

Submitted by tiffanie.miley on

Recreational cheerleading is a sport for girls in sixth through ninth grade. Recreational cheerleading is when girls cheer for the football teams of boys in their own grade. The teams are sponsored by businesses around Springville. There are teams like the Johnston Tire Jaguars, SOS Drugstore Bears, Quality Cleaners Vikings, and Reams Badgers.

To be able to do recreational cheerleading, the parents of the girls who want to do cheerleading can sign up during the start of the summer or late spring at the recreational center in Springville. The Springville Recreational Center is located at 443 South 200 East, or you can visit www.springville.org, then click on City Departments, then Recreation.

After the girls get signed up they go to Springville High School to do a cheer clinic. At the cheer clinic girls learn cheer dances taught by the high school cheer team. They later use these dances during half time of their games. Girls that are younger than fifth grade can go to the cheer clinic as well, they just don’t get to cheer for football teams.

Cheer practices are held during the summer and fall. The cheer coaches decide when those practices are, how long, and where they are.  Haylee Duncan, an eighth-grade cheerleader for Reams the Badgers, said, “Cheerleading is fun because we get to motivate the football players, and we get to look cute.” 

Games start in the fall, and that is when cheerleaders get to cheer and bring excitement to the team. The games are usually in Springville, Spanish Fork, Salem, and Payson. “The cheerleaders bring excitement and energy to the team. They also help to get us pumped up and make us feel good when we do our plays,” said Nik Grosland, an eighth-grade football player for Reams Badgers.

Cheerleading is one way to cheer the team onto victory.  The cheerleaders also make banners for the team to run through at half time. “I think that it is cool running through the signs,” said Andrew Creer, an eighth-grade football player for Quality Cleaners Vikings.

Haylee Paystrup, an eighth-grade cheerleader for Quality Cleaners Vikings, said “Since we already know the cheers it is fun to get into them.”

Since games have already started this year, those who want to cheer can practice this year and sign up next year.

Attributions
Kallie Whitby, SJHS Staff Writer