Over her years of cheerleading, Senior Sophie Erickson has spent many hours at cheer practice.
Throughout them all, some moments stick out more than others. While stunting, tumbling, and cheering itself are the basis of practice, sometimes the mistakes are the most memorable.
“One time, I accidentally tripped somebody, and it was really funny because she tripped and fell flat on her face,” Sophie said. “She peed her pants. It was really funny; it was at the end of practice.”
Sophie began doing cheer in fifth grade, which has led to some of her favorite moments such as this one. She has found a community within her teammates that has motivated her to continue pursuing her love for the sport.
“I did [cheer] in fifth and sixth grade, and then I stopped,” Sophie said. “Then, I joined again in eighth grade. [I get inspired to do cheer by] my friends. I really like everyone on the team.”
The people she cheers with are her favorite part of it overall. Her friends and teammates have left an enduring impact on her experience.
[Being close with my team] definitely has made cheer more fun and more enjoyable.
— Sophie Erickson
Even the more mundane facets of the sport are amusing when Sophie’s friends are there to cheer her up and make practice entertaining.
“[Being close with my team] definitely has made cheer more fun and more enjoyable,” Sophie said. “I get to laugh more. It has made it more fun, and I look forward to practices because I know I’ll see [my friends] there.”
Sophie is grateful for her friends who make the less-enjoyable parts of cheerleading bearable. They often push her to be the best she can be, even when she’s running low on motivation.
While many students are soaking in the summer sun, Sophie and her teammates are at cheer practice.
“We had summer practices [that] were in the morning, and I didn’t wanna get up,” Sophie said. “I would make sure that my friends would be there so that I would go. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be motivated to actually try.”
Although early practices and generally hard times can make athletes question what they’re doing it all for, there are always times that remind them of what they love about their sport.
Sophie’s favorite times are when she gets the chance to cheer on FHC’s football team. She loves that the team is often victorious, as it’s more fun to cheer when they win.
“[My favorite memories are] when our team wins playoff games,” Sophie said. “Last year, we won against Mona Shores. We got two points in the last five seconds [of the game,] and it was really fun.”
Unfortunately, Sophie’s experience of sideline cheer in high school has come to a close. However, she is not yet finished with sport; Sophie is also doing competitive cheer this winter.
The season has only just begun, but it has had a positive, hopeful start.
“We don’t have many people [on the team,]” Sophie said. “It’s going well so far. We have a good coach, and she really wants us to be the best, so that’s good.”
Competitive cheer is different from sideline in many ways, and it’s often considered more intense. While Sophie partakes in both, she does prefer one over the other.
“[I like] sideline cheer [more than competitive,]” Sophie said. “It’s more easygoing, and it’s less hard work.”
Through all of the friendships and memories that come with spending her fall Friday nights on the sidelines, Sophie has loved putting her time into cheerleading.
“I really enjoy [cheer],” Sophie said. “I’m sad that it’s over because I’m a senior, but hopefully I’ll be able to do it in college. [It’s a] fun way to pass time.”
