High school cheerleading: one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted athletics at Hawthorne High School. With girls being lifted into the air while trying to hit extremely complex body positions, tumbling being done when nobody expects it, and voices screaming so loud that the cheerleaders leave each game with no voice, high school cheerleading is way more than poms poms and “cute” dances.

“People think your just there to cheer on the football players, so show them what you can do and prove them wrong,” Hawthorne High School varsity cheerleading coach Kacie Shrettner voices to her cheerleaders to motivate them before a game. With 2018-2019 being coach Shrettner’s second year coaching at Hawthorne, she is a big believer of cheerleaders being respected and taken seriously for the hard work and dedication they put into learning and perfecting their craft.

This year, captains Carly Manzi, Janine Chillemi, Jillian Padovani, and Aly Christie (with the help of coach Shrettner) have sculpted an intense and entertaining routine for the varsity cheerleaders to perform during half time. Although precautions are taken for every single one of the cheerleaders safety, like any other sport, one wrong move could mess up the entire routine.

The risk, hard work, dedication, and love of cheerleading is only the beginning of why cheerleaders need to be respected and viewed as athletes, rather than girls just there to cheer on the football team.