Seen at every football and basketball game, Enloe cheerleaders are, without fail, on the sidelines throughout each team’s season. Their energy and enthusiasm fill the air, making it impossible to ignore their influence on the game’s atmosphere. Though not the main reason for attendance at these games, Enloe cheerleaders will have the crowd’s attention at one point or another. Their flips, jumps, and throws are sure to catch one’s eye. The team’s talent and dedication can be recognized from the bleachers. Watching the cheerleaders for just a few minutes might leave you asking: Could they be destined for something more than the sidelines?

Coach Johnson believes the answer is yes. This is Coach Johnson’s first year with Enloe cheer, and for the first time in over four years, Enloe has participated in cheer competitions around the state. This new venture came as a surprise to many of the cheerleaders and, “the nerves got to some of us, knowing that we wouldn’t be as good as the other teams,” commented Danni Tucker, a junior in her third year on the team. Despite their hiatus and initial hesitation, Enloe cheer entered the scene stronger than ever and both varsity and junior varsity have had exceptional showings. 

In one competition at Wake Forest High School, varsity took home the second place trophy, and at the annual Wake County Cheer competition, varsity placed first, and junior varsity placed third. As Tucker puts it, “We have been doing quite good.”

Despite their recent awards, the competition season has not been without its challenges. The team navigated the tough balance between the demands of cheering at games and preparing for competitions. Enloe cheer is involved with weekly practices and, of course, Friday night football games. On top of that, to prepare for competition season, the team created a full 2:30-minute routine that includes stunting, tumbling, jumps, dancing, and a “flashy” pyramid to wrap it up. Needless to say, the cheerleaders are as busy as ever trying to juggle academics, regular practice, football and basketball games, and competition preparation. 

“Competition season I feel is definitely more stressful, it requires a lot of commitment,” said Jaycey Morrison, a junior on varsity cheer. Tucker also commented, “It’s a lot of work and it’s a lot more stressful on us as athletes and academically with everything going on.”

In addition to the added stress of competing for the first time in years, the team faced internal difficulties. Confronted with injuries and sickness, the cheerleaders had a tough start to their competition debut. Despite this, the team rose above and fought to put their best foot forward on the stage. The resilience that the team showed in the face of these challenges can largely be attributed to their strong “family-like” bond. As perfectly summed up by Morrison, “When you have good teamwork on a team you usually have more success.”

While the team’s bond is apparent and important, behind any great team is a great coach. Coach Johnson began leading the team this season with the hope that they would compete. Tucker commented, “Once [Coach Johnson] sets her goals on something, nothing will sway her from that path.” Her unrelenting determination to reach this goal paid off and acted as a large motivator for the team. She has been a driving force pushing the cheerleaders to bring their A-game to the competition stage. Some describe her as the team’s “rock” because they truly could not have done this without her. 

This cheer season has been like no other for Enloe; with a new and highly motivated coach on their side, the team conquered their fears and challenges. They did the unexpected and proved themselves to be the great team we all knew they were. 

“Despite us not competing in six years, despite all the people who quit and all the people who were injured and despite the fact that nobody thought anything of us, we still went there, put in the work, and won. We won despite all these challenges,” said Tucker.

The cheer team should be incredibly proud of themselves for the feats they have reached this season, and we should all stay on the lookout to see what 2025 brings for them!