Junior Varsity cheer: learning to lead

As the Cedar Shoals High School freshman football team fought back and forth with the Winder-Barrow Bulldogs on Sept. 12, eventually winning 26-22, Cedar Shoals’ junior varsity cheerleaders radiated enthusiasm throughout the sidelines. One key difference in the schools was noticeable: Cedar Shoals’ cheerleaders were present at this home game, but Winder Barrow High Schools’ were not present. 

“This game, our team was neck and neck with (Winder Barrow), and us cheerleaders got to hype our team up and encourage them to score,” sophomore JV cheer captain Kaziyah Huntley said. 

She believes that spirit between the cheerleaders is what makes the team special and attributes this dynamic to head coach Courtni Reese’s guidance. 

“Coach Reese cares. She puts a lot of effort and dedication into our team and the girls’ lives,” Huntley said.

A mentor and a coach to her students, Reese makes sure cheerleaders know that being a student comes first and cheerleading comes second. 

“It’s not (all) fun and nice when I get to cheerleading practice, and that’s something that, when I first started, that boundary was hard to draw like six years ago. Now my girls all know that coach Reese is somebody who doesn’t play with them,” Reese said.

At practice Reese advises the team about individuals who can improve their attendance and better represent the team. She talks to them about how as a cheerleader you have to be in class and be a student. She pushes the team hard to demonstrate leadership in school and during cheer. 

To support these goals, Reese nominates four co-captains and ensures time to talk to one another. She says that she usually chooses a 10th grader because they know how the team works and can help freshman cheerleaders learn and lead. 

“It kind of felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders, because Kaziyah Huntley, Nakeyshia Butts, Jurne ‘Foster and Ke’miah Bennett really fell into their roles as leaders. They were already teaching cheers and leading practices. Then they started planning events, encouraging all the other girls,” Reese said. 

Freshman cheerleader Stephanie Hernandez-Vasquez looks up to the captains as role models. 

“They’re really helpful. Whenever you need help with anything, not just with cheer, they take that leadership part and being a team captain and really embrace it in a good way,” Hernandez said.