By Hannah Turley

The cheer team has been a fixture at Tempe Prep for many years. But this year the team encountered a new challenge: no football team to cheer for. To keep cheer alive Coach Haas decided to make many changes to the cheer team in order to give them opportunities. Coach Haas says, “These changes were the only way to keep a Cheer team at TPA and there were many seniors looking forward to this year. So I did not want to give up on the program.” 

In addition to performing at the pep rally, cheering at halftime at the homecoming volleyball game, their annual showcase, they will now participate in a cheer competition. Their competition will most likely be in November or December. Sophomore Anna DeLaney says, “I’m a little disappointed that we won’t be able to cheer for the football team…but I’m excited for the competition.” Sophomore Corrine Merrill said about the competition, “I’m really excited for it and I think it’ll be fun for the team because it’s something new.” The cheer team practices every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 6 to 7 am. Though it is tiring waking up so early to stunt and drill routines, the team really enjoys the fruits of their labor to see the performances come together. Captain of the cheer team Clare Bergin says, “My favorite part of cheer is definitely the sense of teamwork and camaraderie. There’s nothing like the feeling of nailing a routine with your friends and hearing the crowd cheer. It’s such a rush!” And we are grateful that Coach Haas has worked hard to keep the cheer team running despite the challenges. Every student should consider joining cheer and support the team!