The Dragon Cheerleaders are very involved in the making of Friday Night Lights. They bring much spirit and excitement to the game.  Each week, the cheer squad practices on an average of two days a week after school to prepare for the upcoming varsity football game and last week’s Pink Out game was no exception. The crowd may see clean stunts, cheers, and chants, but these performances take a lot of preparation.  This week, the cheerleaders will be traveling to Texas High to continue their support of the football team.  Next week, they will prepare for the last home football game of the season which doubles as senior night.

“I think cheer brings a lot of positive energy to the football games,” JV Cheerleader Olivia Schulz said. “I think we really uplift everyone’s spirits.”

The cheerleaders enjoy bringing positive energy to the game. They like being down on the sidelines and getting to participate in the game, and to see the action up close.

“My favorite part of the football games is being on the sidelines and getting to see everything that goes down within the football games,” varsity cheerleader Abigail Allman said. “I love getting to see all the football players and the trainers and the coaches and all of the things that go into the making of the football games.”

The cheerleaders cherish their time with each other on the sidelines. They have a lot of fun cheering, performing dance routines, tossing shirts and mini-footballs into the crowd, and just being together.

“I love football and it’s fun for me to know the game and be excited and just be there but it’s also fun to just see them smile and have fun with each other, ” Coach Laura Hairston said. “I think for me it’s about having fun but also just seeing them with the community and getting to engage with the girls and see that they are making a difference in their community.”

Although the cheerleaders do have fun in football games they also participate in many other events throughout the year. They participate in the annual drill team Christmas Show and Spring Show, and they also do clinics for younger girls who may want to cheer in middle school and high school.  This week, the pre-K through 5th graders, who participated in this year’s Barbie-themed Cheer clinic, joined the Dragon Cheerleaders on the field for a pre-game performance.

“I am really excited for senior night because it will be my last football game,” varsity cheerleader Maddie Woods said.  “I’m also excited for the Christmas and Spring Show because we can show all that we have in those performances.”

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