Freshman Aly Dunn has been a cheerleader for a year and a half, and she recently made the varsity cheer team.
“I’ve been cheering since eighth grade basketball season,” Dunn said.
Having been a gymnast, Dunn thought cheer would be a good school sport to try.
“I wanted to be part of a school sport, and I’ve been doing gymnastics and stuff my whole life,” Dunn said.
Dunn is a flyer on the varsity team. Flyers are the people who get thrown into the air to be on the top of the pyramid.
“She tries her best to stay tight and calm while in the air,” freshman Taylor Bostic said.
Flyers are held up by the bases, who support their feet. While the bases are supporting, flyers still need to make sure they have the right position to ensure the stunt does not go wrong.
“She always makes sure not to blame her bases,” freshman Annie Tran said. “She always knows there’s, like, something she needs to improve on.”
Before the game, the team meets up to get ready. This includes warmups and just hanging out.
“I like to talk to my teammates before and kind of get out the nerves,” Dunn said.
When doing these stunts like the pyramid, if one group falls, it could knock the rest of the pyramid down. It takes a lot of focus to make sure no one gets hurt.
“It’s really good having, like, a close bond with them [my teammates],” Dunn said.
