“You know what to do…you’ve got to rock with the gold and roll with the blue,” is one of the FCHS cheer team’s most recognizable chants. It also sums up what it’s like to be a cheerleader: Having fun no matter what and bringing a positive vibe to Fluco sports and spirit.

Many people view cheer as everything but a sport, that your main job is to just wave your poms around and yell, “Let’s go Flucos.” But there is a lot more to it.

We don’t have as many practices as other sports like basketball and football, but stunting almost the whole time isn’t an easy thing to do. During competition practice, we go through our routine and then repeat it, full-out, over and over, cheering, tumbling, jumping, and dancing until we get it right. Some people ask me, “How are you able to remember all that choreography?” Honestly, I wonder the same thing sometimes.

Tryout time is often a very straightforward process for returning cheerleaders. But for newcomers, it can be stressful. Regardless, it’s always a lot to learn at once. Tryouts are usually done over four days, with three days of learning the material (and one day when you run the mile), and the last day being the actual tryout. Tryouts are exhausting, but whether you make the team or not, the skills you’ll learn are worth it.

“Friday Night Lights” is what cheerleaders call football games. The crowd involvement, the themes, and the band chants are the things I find the most exciting. Every year, we also perform at the school year’s first pep rally before the Homecoming game. It’s always nerve-wracking performing in front of the school, but in the end, it usually turns out all good, and almost everyone is happy.

“Football season is my favorite. There’s a lot more action that goes on, and it feels good to interact with a crowd,” said JV cheerleader Alayna Voyles.

Not everyone is aware that cheerleaders compete as a Virginia High School League (VHSL) sport in addition to cheering on games. Competitions are always fun, whether the team places or not. The time between the last routine and the awards makes competition cheer truly memorable.

There are downsides to cheer, including the fact that it is a year-long commitment. Once you try out for football season, you are committed to cheering for basketball season as well, and you only get a two-week break during the transition time between seasons. The only real break is after basketball season when you have almost two months off. After that, it’s back to preparing for the next year.

In addition, while a lot of sports have summer conditioning, not all go to camp with other schools and stay four days and three nights in a dorm. Summer cheer camp means learning and practicing back-to-back stunts, jumps, cheers, and dances. Afterward, walking to the cafeteria at the end of the day is always exhausting, and before you know it, it’s time to go to bed.

Overall, being a cheerleader is eventful, you’re always learning something new, bonding with other cheerleaders/schools, and showing spirit. One main thing that also comes from cheerleading is lessons.

“One lesson I gained from cheerleading is the strength of collaboration and belief in each other. Cheerleaders depend on one another for stunts, routines, and support, both physically and emotionally. It serves as a reminder that achievement frequently arises from teamwork, mutual trust, and supporting one another—whether on the mat, during a group assignment, or in life overall,” said varsity cheerleader Adisen Brown.

Second-year cheerleader Jayla Curry agrees that being a cheerleader holds powerful lessons for life. “Even when you’re nervous or having anxiety about something challenging, just do it anyway, and have faith and trust your teammates,” she said.