The book definition of cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement and support for school sports. But the Ben Davis class of 2025 cheer team has a different way of defining it, a second family away from home.
“Cheer has transformed my high school experience in the best way possible,” senior Logan Hopkins-Harvey. “It’s given me a second family, a place where I always feel supported and encouraged. Cheer has pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me make amazing friendships, and given me unforgettable memories. The cheer team will become your family.”
Cheer at Ben Davis has been around for years, yet the senior cheerleaders of the 24-25 school year became a tight-knit loving community amongst all the ladies, even the lower classmen cheerleaders. While many of the girls joined cheer early on in their high school experience, senior Kayla Gaspar tried out her senior year and made the team, thus being her first and last year of cheer.
“It is really sad that I didn’t get to experience the full cheer experience, but I’m cherishing all the moments I have. I really recommend joining early on,” she said.
The ladies agreed that the cheer team is a great experience that can help form self characteristics and really help find yourself.
“Cheer has made me want to become a better person, it helped me stay on track with my grades and life in general,” said senior KJ Thornton.
Cheer was recommended for lower classmen to try out for by all of the ladies.
“Would I recommend joining cheer, yes, 100 percent. Cheer isn’t like any other sport, it takes up a lot of time and motivation but it’s worth it to see the smiles on the fans faces during the game or the crowd yelling the cheers with us. It’s truly an incredible experience,” senior Namiyah Quinn said.
Over the years people have said cheer “is not a sport”. However, some people may disagree. They have practices just like every other sport, they have to train for their sport and how to perfect it. Blood, sweat, and tears go into any sport, and cheer is definitely not short of it.
“Cheer isn’t just about chants and pompoms, it’s about teamwork, confidence, and bringing people together. I love the idea of hyping up a crowd, hitting sharp motions, and the feeling after finally hitting a new stunt,” Hopkins-Harvey said.
When asked what it takes to be a cheerleader for Ben Davis High School, “The only things that we require are dedication, a good attitude, and a willingness to learn,” said cheer coach MacKayla Gillis.
Coach Mac has been the coach of this year’s senior cheerleaders since they came into highschool. She has been able to witness the wonderful young ladies they have come to be.
“This year’s seniors are extremely special for Coach Kayla (Varsity Assistant Coach) and I. They were freshmen when we started coaching them, and we have seen them grow into amazing young women. They are hard-working and dedicated and make coaching worthwhile,” Gillis said.
Although they were altogether as a team, each of these ladies have a different path they are deciding to take after high school. Some are taking a career path in the education field, others wanting to become their own boss and an entrepreneur. Even studying Kinesiology, which is the study of human movement, performance, and function.
Ben Davis cheer was truly an incredible experience for the seniors and they recommend trying out for it.
