By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
To the average person, cheerleading may be about participants cheering for the team as a form of encouragement. Ranging from chanting slogans to intense physical activity, cheerleaders are looked upon to motivate sports teams, entertain the audience/crowd, and at some levels for competition.
The purpose of cheerleading in sports is a connection between fans and their specific athletic team, with high energy and enthusiasm generated from the crowd can help a sports team play better or simply boost their overall morale if things are not in favor of them. Overall, the goal of cheerleaders worldwide is to unify the crowd and keep them engaged. However, when you take a closer look at cheerleading, especially locally at the little league level, you will notice that cheerleading is much deeper than the performances that they put on.
“It’s really about the comradery and the importance of sisterhood,” said Cathy Banks, Cheer Manager for the Benson Bruins. “[Its’s about] building their confidence to perform in front of people, not just [recreation league] competition, but for state competitions as well.”
The Northwest Premier Junior Football League provides a platform for clubs to play not only football, but cheer teams are also afforded an opportunity to display their skills as well. With a combined total of 44 football teams that take the field each week, cheerleaders are active participants every Saturday and Sunday just like, if not more so than, the players.
While fans get a chance to see them perform each week, what is not on display is the behind-the-scenes aspect that helps build character and self-esteem as these young women continue to evolve in society.
When asked about the fundamental message that is conveyed to the young ladies about conducting themselves throughout life and cheerleading, Shavon Robinson, cheer coordinator for the CD Panthers expressed, “I think for me it’s more of teaching them life skills while having fun, but continuously telling them teamwork, discipline, and working hard will get you what you want.”
“I preach and teach to them to be young ladies that value who they are, but I have many different situations with these girls so I understand that the message for one may not be the message for all,” added Robinson.
With proper life skills being taught with an infusion of interpersonal discipline has not only helped many of the young ladies navigate through society, but it has also provided them with an opportunity to grow and advance onto the next level. From cheer competitions as a youth to potentially competing on a state and national level in high school or college is something these young ladies can look forward to within the sport. Throughout this journey, they’ll have coaches supporting them along the way if cheering is something they want to do moving forward.
“We’ll help get them prepared for the next levels such as high school and college if that’s something they want to do,” said Banks. “But this starts with committed adults and making sure they’re equipped to coach these young ladies, parents fully supporting the coaches, and lastly making sure coaches are appreciated and have everything they need for the cheerleaders.”
According to Shimika Dowlen of the Renton Rangers, mentorship plays a huge role in cheerleading programs and when the foundation of a cheer program is strong it can flourish into a culture/tradition that can be carried on for years.
When asked how important mentorship is regarding the sport, Dowlen, who’s been involved in cheerleading for over 20 years, expressed, “I’ve mentored a lot of girls throughout the years and watched them grow up since they were six years old, and many of them come back to help.”
“With our program at Renton, we have a lot of girls who’ve cheered for us come back and become coaches,” she added. “Now high school students come back to teach the next generation what the Ranger way is all about.”
More than just entertaining fans in the stands or motivating the program they’re associated with, the mentorship and sisterhood established in cheerleading has helped young ladies blossom into women who have given back to their community in many ways, including teaching the next generation how to carry themselves as prideful young women, who believe that they can make a difference in the world.
“[We’re] Instilling in these ladies what sisterhood is all about,” says Dowlen. “Building them up with reassuring words and great examples, a strong program has created an even stronger sisterhood.”
