66 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com athletes are figuring out who they are and where they fit. For Johnston, that is part of what she hopes her athletes ultimately gain from cheer. She wants them to become confident athletes, but also respectful, accountable and wellrounded young women. PROUD TO REPRESENT Cheerleaders are often among the most visible representatives of their schools. They are there when the crowd arrives, when the team takes the field and when the final whistle blows. THAT VISIBILITY COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY At Bishop England, Johnston said her athletes take pride in representing their school and supporting their fellow athletes. “I think the girls are really proud to be part of the Bishop England community,” she said. “Cheerleading and showing their support for other sports as well as themselves is a great thing.” Spraker sees the same pride developing in a young Lucy Beckham program that is still creating its identity. As a newer school, it is working to establish its own Friday night traditions. This season, Spraker is particularly excited about bringing new traditions to football games and finding fun ways for the cheerleaders to make the sidelines their own. The team is also stepping into a new competitive chapter with its return to the 4A division. Mansfield said the athletes at Wando understand the responsibility that comes with representing a school with such a long-standing athletic tradition. “They are proud and humble,” she said, adding that the athletes understand that being a positive representative of the school requires focus. A COMMUNITY THAT SHOWS UP The relationship between a cheer program and its community does not stop at the stadium gates. Hargrove described cheer as a unique sport because it serves virtually every other athletic program at the school. “We are the only sport in high school sports that is a service to all the other sports,” Hargrove said. Oceanside’s cheerleaders support football, basketball and other teams throughout the year. They also participate in community events and help represent a school that, as a smaller charter school, is still establishing its identity within the larger Mount Pleasant community. At Beckham, that community connection takes another form through the school’s Little Bengals summer camp. Approximately 180 children participated this year, creating a major fundraiser for the school and cheer program. Many of those same children later showed up to football games and competitions to cheer on the athletes they had met. Mansfield said the Little Warrior camp has played a similar role in building a pipeline between younger children and Wando’s high school cheering program. The girls who once attended camp as elementary school students can eventually find themselves wearing the Wando uniform themselves. Williams said that community support is essential. Like many high school athletic programs, cheer relies heavily on parents, community partners and alumni. “Without the support of parents, without the support of our community partners and without the support of our alumni, we wouldn’t have a program,” she said. That support also reminds athletes that what they do matters to people beyond their own team. WHAT THEY CARRY WITH THEM Eventually, the uniforms will be packed away. The seniors will graduate. The Friday night lights will belong to a new class of athletes. The girls who once spent nearly every day together will head in different directions. But the coaches hope the most important parts of the experience stay with them. Hargrove wants her athletes to remember the fun, the game nights, theme nights, friendships and performances, as well as the teamwork and dedication required to make something work. Williams hopes her athletes carry forward hard work, pride and the understanding that once they commit to something, they should finish it. Spraker wishes for her athletes to leave with the memories and hard work they invested in the program, becoming better people as well as better cheerleaders. Mansfield has already seen that impact continue beyond graduation. Former athletes have gone on to become leaders at their universities, including collegiate athletes and sorority presidents, bringing the skills they developed through the program into new communities. Johnston hopes her athletes take with them the lessons of leadership, kindness and being a good person. Because for these coaches, the measure of a successful cheer program is not only what happens on the competition floor or how loudly a crowd responds on Friday night. IT IS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER It is the girl who learns to trust the teammate standing beside her. The freshman who finds confidence because an older teammate believes in her. The athlete who learns to speak up for herself, work through conflict and show up for others. The young woman who graduates knowing how to be part of something bigger than herself. The bows may eventually come off. The stunts may eventually end. But the relationships, confidence, discipline and sense of belonging built along the way can last far beyond the final eight-count. In Mount Pleasant, that may be the greatest thing these cheerleaders are building. our sports
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