The young girls line up with their poms in hand. As they stand next to girls dressed in black and purple uniforms complete with either white boots or cheer shoes, they prepare to make their dreams come true. It is their turn to show the community what they learned during the Future Sweethearts and Little Cheerkat clinics under the Friday night lights.
“At the clinic, we worked on showing spirit, having confidence, and overall the main cheer skills you need to get ready for the game,” junior cheerleader Audrey Hensley said. “Seeing the joy on the kids’ faces as they got to experience cheering at a high school football game was very rewarding to watch.”
If anyone missed out on this opportunity, the Sweethearts will host another clinic in the spring and the participants will perform at the annual Spring Show.
Children typically have short attention spans, which can be challenging for the dancers and cheerleaders trying to teach them routines or cheers.
“The clinic went smoothly but the biggest challenge was making sure all of the dancers were together and focused,” freshman Sweetheart Katelyn Hyche said. “Since I worked with the K-2 grade group it was challenging but rewarding. I showed them that not only can it be fun and exciting to do, it can be difficult, but you can always get through those hard moments.”
The clinics were not just all fun, they were also educational.
“We made sure the clinic was educational by teaching them material, jumps, and stunts,” junior cheerleader Ali Puls said. “But we kept it fun by playing a lot of games and listening to music with them. We want them to learn and also enjoy themselves and want to come back.”
The game the Future Sweethearts and Little Cheerkats perform is also middle school night, which can put a lot of stress on each organization participating.
“I could tell that being with us on the field and getting to experience what we do as Sweethearts is making them realize how much they like to be a part of this,” sophomore Sweetheart Brooke Dillard said. “Even just doing small routines still made them happy. I wish that the day of the performance wasn’t on the night as middle school night because dealing with hundreds of little kids and middle schoolers can be stressful, especially when all the organizations are doing it too.”
Little girls get to have new experiences by participating in these clinics, which can set them up for their future at the high school.
“The clinic was fun for the little ones to be able to try something new and do fun things,” senior cheerleader Triniti McPheron said. “While also knowing the importance of our team how we hold each other accountable, and the safety behind it all. There was also a heartwarming moment when the little girl I had with me wouldn’t let me go when she had to return to her mom.”
Hosting these clinics allows future students to dance and cheer with the girls that they look up to.
“It was so special for me to see the kids look up to all of the Sweethearts and just being able to make those young girls happy,” freshman Sweetheart Madilene Bradfute said. “It’s truly magical seeing their smiles while performing. It makes you realize how lucky you are to be a Sweetheart and it gives you an idea of just how many girls are watching us during football season waiting for it to be their turn.”
