Clarke Central High School varsity cheerleading co-captain McKenna Ezekiel, a junior, stands in the Billy Henderson Stadium on Oct. 27. According to Ezekiel, the team has engaged in various team-building activities to form closer connections after nearly a year of virtual school, some of which involve social media apps, like Instagram and TikTok. “We have done a lot when it comes to team building. We have done fun exercises with each other, and have had fun outings to get to know one another and to create a family bond. I love doing them because they help me get to know the people on my team and have a better relationship with them,” Ezekiel said. “We have Tik Tok Thursdays, which gives us a chance to bond while doing Tik Tok trends that we like to do, and it’s fun for us to connect and dance to the latest Tik Tok trends.” Photo by Lucas Donnelly
To combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CCHS varsity cheerleading team has taken initiatives to increase school spirit and team building.
No uniforms, online try-outs, virtual school and a delayed season: the Clarke Central High School varsity cheerleading team faced unprecedented challenges throughout the 2020-21 school year.
“For the first time, we held virtual tryouts instead of in-person tryouts, which was very different. And our season got pushed back, instead of starting in August, we started in September,” CCHS head cheer coach Krystian Edwards said. “(That) was a struggle, on top of getting our materials. We actually went the season without uniforms (because) we couldn’t order new things. So we had to just use what we had.”
Not only did the team face adversity in the performance of their duties, but Edwards feels online learning also impacted the team.
“As far as virtual learning, it was different. It took a toll on a lot of girls,” Edwards said. “For some who were able to learn virtually, they did well. For others, they weren’t as successful as they would have been in the classroom.”
The Clarke Central High School varsity cheerleading team cheers at the CCHS vs. Greenbrier High School football game on Oct. 15. Throughout the 2021-22 football season, CCHS head cheer coach Krystian Edwards noticed the crowds’s excitement for the cheerleaders. “I think (the importance of cheerleading is) to continue bringing the school spirit awareness on the sidelines, getting the crowd involved,” Edwards said. Photo by Lucas Donnelly
According to Edwards, returning to face-to-face learning this year has been positive for the team and the cheerleaders have been able to focus on increasing visibility and morale.
“As far as school spirit, we’ve done more on social media. So on our Instagram page, we’ve become more active. Since of course, ideally, we would want to have pep rallies and things of such, but that’s not happening this year,” Edwards said. “So we try to be more active on our Instagram pages. And we also made a TikTok page. So we have TikTok Thursdays, to post and just promote Clarke Central.”
Not only has the squad worked to increase spirit on campus, varsity cheerleading co-captain McKenna Ezekiel, a junior, says the team has worked to facilitate fellowship among one another.
“We have done a lot when it comes to team building, we have done fun exercises with each other, and have had fun outings to get to know one another and to create a family bond. I love doing them because they help me get to know the people on my team and have a better relationship with them,” Ezekiel said. “We have Tik Tok Thursdays, which gives us a chance to bond while doing Tik Tok trends that we like to do, and it’s fun for us to connect and dance to the latest Tik Tok trends.”
