The first thing that pops into people’s head when they hear the word cheerleading it is traditionally school cheer. Like the chants you hear during the Friday night football games, or during the basketball season. School cheerleaders have multiple seasons in which they cheer for.  A few of Holt’s cheerleaders have came from All Star cheerleading, like Sydney Ingracia (21’).

Ingracia started cheer while she was in sixth grade. During eighth grade she joined middle school cheer which led her to quitting All-Star and becoming a varsity school cheerleader.

“I have never regretted the switch, but I do miss the competitions. I love all of my friends on the team so it makes it worth it for me,” says Ingracia (21’).

Kennede Parke (21’) started cheering at Full Out 6 years ago. She started her competitive career there before moving to Platinum athletics and beginning high school cheerleading. Parke is no longer a member of Platinums cheer team but will continue to cheer at Holt even though she prefers competitive.

“I like competitive more because it is faster and challanges you to get more skills. School routines are slow and I don’t get to learn new skills,” says Parke (21’) Competitive cheer is very expensive, Parke has had to pay for both and she does not believe that the school cheer price is worth it.

Jordan Brown (20’) has been a Holt cheerleader for 3 years and plans to continue to be a varsity cheerleader her senior year as well.

“I started in middle school cheer with friends for fun, I never expected to like it but I did and have continued to,” says Brown (20’). Brown’s (20’) favorite part of school cheer is the varsity football games, she does winter and fall cheer, but enjoys fall cheer much more.

Kiersen Franklin (19’) is a senior at Holt. She started cheer her freshman year at Timberland before switching to Holt and continuing her cheer career. She has spent all four years on a cheer team but does not plant to continue cheering in college. Franklin (19’) was never an all star cheerleader but she did think about it.

“I have considered doing competitive cheer somewhere, but with school there just wasn’t as much time,” says Franklin (19’). School cheer has practice most days but unlike All-start it is after school so it is not as time consuming, you also do not have to travel every weekend so it is not such a commitment.

The routines are very different between the cheer teams as long as rules. All-star cheer routine are separated by division, which is what level tumbling and stunting your team can do. School cheer has set rules for all high school teams, you do not have as many options and the routines are just chants. All-star cheer is considered a sport now but school cheer is not an actual sport.

Being apart of an all-star team you do not cheer for another sport and you are apart of a gym. School cheer you have multiple seasons and many cheers instead of one routine.

There is no “real” cheer, it is just what you like most. They are very different but both dedication and skill.