Grace Evans

Staff Writer

As most fall sports come to an end, the Jamesville-Dewitt High School Varsity Cheerleading squad is just getting started. The team cheers during both football and basketball seasons, typically at home games.

Team captains include senior Escince Hines, juniors Emma Carlton and Melissa West, as well as sophomore Violet Craw. Strong leadership from the captains ensure that the team works well together.

Although cheerleaders are often portrayed poorly in the media, the J-DHS cheerleaders are nothing like that. However, cheerleaders still face criticism from outsiders. Hines says that the outside comments are one of the most difficult things about cheerleading.

Cheerleading is both a physically and mentally challenging sport. A large portion of cheerleading practice is conditioning, and the rest is spent working on stunts to prepare for sidelines. “It’s a two and a half minute routine where you’re running and flipping and throwing people, so we have to work really hard to build up our stamina,” Carlton said.

Although the fall season has ended for the cheer team, they will perform this winter season at basketball games.