Members of
the varsity cheerleading team are (Back Row L to R): Aimee Foushee, Anne
Brooks-Evans, Jessie Hansard, Lindsey Cox and Rachel Jones. (Front Row L to R):
Kristen Hughes, Mandi Wells, Brittany Sellers, Jennifer Lewis, Melanie Johnson,
Brittany Shapiro and Whiteny Crane.
Cheerleading
is a team made up of girls who go to sports to be an encouragement.
They dance,
they sing, they even get the fans involved. "When girls try out for the
cheer squad they have to put in an effort, enthusiasm, being sharp, the ability
to learn cheers," said Coach Laura Dalpoggetto.
Dalpoggetto
has been the cheer coach for three years, and as a student she was a
cheerleader for six years. She is a Yosemite High graduate. Dalpoggetto always likes to make sure that
the girls are on time for sporting events and that they are disciplined. While
Dalpoggetto has been the coach there has never been a guy who tried out. One
fellow did tryout, but with a different coach.
The most stressful thing that the
cheerleaders have is the lack of support from the student body, having sporting
events almost every day of the week, being a year around sport and trying to
keep their grades up, the coach says.
The things Dalpoggetto loves most about
being the coach is that the girls make her feel younger, helping them progress
in cheering, and interacting with each of them.
Their sport is
year around, but they get time to do one sport like softball or track. The
following April they start cheerleading again, getting ready for the next year.
“If we drop
someone we get in trouble, we have to do either sit-ups or push-ups, up to 20
every time, so we try to not get in trouble,” said cheerleader Rachel
Jones-Nelson.