Aragon cheerleaders have led rallies and performed at sporting events since Aragon was founded half a century ago. Today, both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Cheerleading Squads at Aragon are comprised of girls aiming to bring spirit to the Aragon community.
For many girls, cheerleading was a childhood dream. “Both of my older sisters were Aragon cheerleaders, and I was the little five-year-old in the stands that knew all the cheers,” says senior Rachel Fonseca, co-captain of Varsity Cheerleading. Freshman cheerleader Rebecca Ruttenberg, says, “When I was little, I saw cheerleaders perform and I thought that they were amazing. I wanted to be like them.”
While cheerleading is not considered a sport by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), cheerleaders perform at football games, basketball games, and rallies in addition to practicing every weekday.
The season starts with grueling try-outs. JV and Varsity coach Nicole Hart says, “Our tryouts are intense. Our tryouts begin with three-four days of practice when students learn cheers and dances and come up with their own choreography to perform in front of the judges.”
A group of judges analyze and choose the squads. According to sophomore Juliette Mao, co-captain of JV cheer, “The coaches don’t gradually cut people like in other sports. It’s only at the very end [that girls are cut].”
Practices are about two hours long and are usually spent learning new routines and stunts. “We do a lot of complicated stunts like basket tosses, cradles, and extensions. They are complicated and definitely scary if you haven’t done them before,” says Katie Tun Zan, a sophomore and second year JV cheerleader.
The routines are set to contemporary music and choreographed by the team captains. Fonseca says, “Learning new stunts takes a while. Everybody has a very specific job to do, and it won’t work if something goes wrong.”
In addition to acrobatics, cheerleading also requires skills in dance, something that many cheerleaders have experience in. “I’ve always loved to dance and have been dancing since I was four,” says junior Linwei Ye.
Dancing has also given some cheerleaders the skills needed to perform in front of large crowds. Says senior cheerleader Alexa Cajthaml, “I [used to do] gymnastics, ballet, tap, and jazz, which gave me the endurance and rhythm for what we do now.”
Senior Rachel Preston, Varsity co-captain, adds, “Now we condition in the summers [at cheer camp] before we start choreography.”
Cheerleading becomes more intense from Junior Varsity to Varsity. Preston says, “There is a lot expected of us. The audience at Varsity games is much larger than JV, so we have to deal with the adrenaline from performing in front of many spectators and acting professional at all times.”
While some school cheerleading teams compete at local and national levels, Aragon Cheerleaders prefer to focus on school events. “I [cheer] because it’s fun, not because I want a trophy,” says Fonseca.
However, some Aragon cheerleaders participate in competitive teams outside of school. Tun Zan cheers in a local competitive squad that is not connected to a school or teams. “[Competitive cheer] differs because there are harder moves and more pressures,” she says.
Although cheerleaders are often associated with superficial stereotypes, Fonseca says, “There are always going to be people who think that cheerleaders are airheads and backstabbers. I’ve learned to ignore it because I know it’s not true.”
Some girls even use the stereotypes as motivation. “I cheer to prove to people that cheerleading is a sport,” says sophomore cheerleader Brianna Keeling.
Coach Hart agrees, “I believe that my cheerleaders shut down any negative stereotypes that people may have about cheerleaders because of their maturity and work ethic. My cheerleaders set an incredible example and I believe that Aragon will judge us based on our performances and behavior.”
Additionally, the cheerleaders maintain a close relationship with the athletes. Sophomore football player Billy Jake Ashbaugh says, “I appreciate them going to every game and giving us support. They also make us snacks on game-day and posters for games.”
Steve Sell, Aragon’s Athletic Director and Head Football Coach says, “Cheerleaders enhance the spirit of the fans as well as the overall football experience. When they aren’t there they are missed.”
In addition to providing support at sporting events, Coach Hart believes they possess a tremendous influence at Aragon. She says, “The spirit squad at Aragon is the only group that works year round and participates in all of the rallies throughout the year. The spirit squad is trained and coached to be a constant reminder of what Aragon is all about, which I believe is respect, integrity and honor.”
