Bleachers packed with high schoolers collectively wait with bated breath while their team scores the game-winning goal. Every Friday-night football game attendee has felt the anticipation — the excitement — of watching their team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Nobody is more prepared to celebrate such a win than our very own cheerleading team. With plenty of cheers and stunts, Enloe Cheer brings the spirit to the sporting events we all know and love. Comprising of four captains and 14 total cheerleaders, this group of young women strives to build confidence and camaraderie with every practice. 

Depending on the season, the team gathers in the gym after school once or twice a week to run laps, stretch as a group, and brush up on stunts and tumbling, as well as the cheers you see at games. In the words of Tytiana LeCount, Enloe senior and one of the varsity cheer captains, “I come to practice with a smile on my face. The girls just make me really happy.” Additionally, these practices serve a more intimate purpose: strengthening a community. Junior Aeiress Stancil, a three-year veteran of Enloe Cheer, notes that “We emphasize understanding everybody’s problems… Everybody is kind and sweet to each other. It’s like a sisterhood.” 

What better way is there to promote a sisterhood than a team-wide trip to Myrtle Beach? When both girls were asked to name their favorite memory from cheer, this visit quickly came to mind. A vacation among teammates fostered connections the cheerleaders have cherished ever since:. “I love being with my team. I definitely got closer to a bunch of people that I didn’t think I would talk to. It was just good vibes all around,” Aeiress reminisced. From events as organized as this to unexpected, spontaneous hangouts, our Enloe cheerleaders’ natural meshing betters the team and, by extension, our school’s enthusiasm for all of our sports teams.

Contrary to many students’ beliefs that cheer is simply memorizing phrases and hand movements, each and every teammate puts in hard work and dedication to deliver energetic routines at Enloe games. Aside from their fabulous football season performances, the group appears at most athletic events, brings attention to quarterly spirit weeks, performs at pep rallies, and choreographs their own stunts and cheers. In order to make each school event a success, the girls must have faith in themselves and the team. “Joining cheer helped me learn that I have the power to move up, because in cheer we can only get better, and every day at practice we strive to get better,” Aeiress remarked, “Since my freshman year I have definitely seen myself build up the confidence I have.” It is through this devoted togetherness that Enloe Cheer empowers our school to come together as one.

If you want to support Tytiana, Aeiress, and the rest of the cheerleading team, you can do so by attending most any of Enloe’s games. It’s more likely than not that you will see the squad bringing hype to the student section. Almost as strong as their affinity for their teammates is Enloe Cheer’s dedication to filling our community with spirit.