There is nothing better than traditional “Friday Night Lights”–the crowd ramps up as the football team crashes through the hand-made banner designed by the cheerleaders, painted and now held up for imminent destruction.
The cheerleaders stay after school to decorate the football senior’s lockers in black and gold for all the students to see. Cheerleaders wait on the field to support the boys when they walk off the field after every game.The cheerleaders walk down the field on senior night following the football senior boys. The cheerleaders sit on the bleachers for every home basketball game. It is mandatory that the cheerleaders have to be at those games but they go in with spirit and excitement for the team.
Each year, the Cheerleading Spirit Booster Club takes money out of their funds that they raise to buy decorations for the Woodland Football senior’s lockers and cars. This year, however, the Booster Club will not be making that withdrawal.
This year they are changing it up a little.
For the past five years, Woodland Regional High School Cheerleading Coach, Leigh Graveline, has been fighting with the spirit club to end the decorating tradition. Graveline understands the amount of effort, thought and money the cheerleaders put into the decorations and also recognizes the fact that they did not always receive the recognition they deserved.
“I feel that girls put a lot of work and thought into the decorations,” said Graveline. “They get treated as if it’s not good enough so I have always campaigned not doing it.”
Spirit Booster Club President Dawn Macharelli was asked by the cheerleaders to stop decorating after cheerleaders had received criticism about the decorated lockers and cars. This year, when presented with the idea to change the tradition, the entire board agreed to not be responsible for the football team’s seniors.
“We will try to do anything to support our girls,” said Macharelli when asked why the decision was made.
Graveline, along with the seniors on the cheer team, believe that it shouldn’t be their responsibility to decorate for another team especially at a time when the cheerleading season is just beginning.
“I don’t care if we decorate; it’s not actually part of our sport,” said Graveline. “Every team’s job is to support their own seniors.”
Even though the cheerleading season spans from June to April, it is considered a winter sport . This year, there will be four senior nights all held in the gym for the winter season: girls basketball, boys basketball, dance team and cheerleading team. Instead of the cheerleading and dance team combining a senior night with the football and basketball teams, they will each have their own night to be recognized
Woodland Athletic Director, Brian Fell, says this change is so the teams feel like “they won’t have to share their spotlight.”
Caitlyn is a Staff Reporter at Hawk Headlines, and has spent one full semester at Hawk Headlines. She once bought a betta fish without telling her mom, and describes herself as a "rebellious reporter".
