At the board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, Principal Karl Losekoot recognized the cheer team for their “unwavering spirit.”
The team’s spirit has always soared, driving energetic Homecoming week and football game performances. “Right now, we’ve been focusing on encouraging other sports, whether it’s varsity, JV, or freshman games,” senior and flyer Kimberli Estrada said. “You can always see us at every event just trying to encourage our school’s teams.”
“It’s a big accomplishment to be recognized in the board meeting, not only for M-A but for the rest of my team as well, because most of them are new to cheer,” Estrada said.
In preparation for their Homecoming rally and football game halftime show the team learned and rehearsed new dances and practiced their stunts so their routines would be clean and ready to perform. “We practice all the dances, stunts, and other elements individually, then in the last couple of practices, we put it all together,” sophomore Liza Dolgashev said.
“For Homecoming, I like that we get to do a longer routine, and it’s a combination of our best stunts and dances that shows people how hard we work,” Dolgashev said.
The team has several Homecoming traditions, including decorating posters for the graduating seniors and getting ready together in front of the mirror by the gym wall. “Getting ready together is good because everyone gets to bond before our performance,” Skhiri said.
At the beginning of the year, coaches choose team captains based on spirit and positive attitudes. The 2024-25 team captains are seniors Tatiola Sobomehin*, Gabriella Amaya Rodriguez, and Estrada.
“It’s important that we are approachable and can inspire our team to be the best possible team,” Sobohemin said.
Captains take on many responsibilities, like calling cheers from the sidelines, communicating with teammates, keeping the team organized throughout game day, and planning team bonding. “The captains on the team are really supposed to be the communicators between team members and coaches,” Sobomehin said. “We are responsible for making this an enjoyable team to be a part of.”
As the year progresses, the cheer team will continue to support the football and basketball teams at games and rallies.
*Tatiola Sobomehin is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle
Yess cheer team!! Thank you for writing for us!