Behind the scenes with a cheerleader

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O. Henry Journalism Class

O. Henry cheerleaders perform at a football game

Lola H., Reporter

Emma Marks is a seventh grader and a cheerleader. I interviewed her to see what it is really like to be a cheerleader at O. Henry.

Q:  How has cheerleading affected your life at O. Henry Middle School?

A:  It’s made me more positive and have a more positive outlook on the school.

Q:  Did anybody inspire you to do cheer?

A:   My eighth grade friend Marissa. When we were younger, I saw that she did cheer and I got inspired to do it. She convinced me to do O.Henry cheer, so that I could join the cheer family.

Q:  Who has supported you through all the struggles of cheerleading?

A:  Definitely my parents and close friends and my coach in gymnastics and in cheer.

Q:  Do you want to cheer at O. Henry Middle School next year, and why do you want to do it next year?

A:  For sure, cause I loved it so much this year and being on competition team made me have more of a positive outlook on the school.

Q:  Do you personally think your team is ready for nationals?

A:  Yes, because we have worked very very hard for this moment and we have put in a lot of work and sweat, so we feel very very confident.

Q:  How has cheer influenced other people?

A:  So I think cheer has influenced other people to number one, try out, and number 2, to come to the games and support O. Henry and just also have a positive outlook on the school because we want everyone in the school to be positive.

Q:  Who has influenced you most on your team?

A:  Probably our captain Marissa because she’s always been there by my side before cheer, after cheer, and during cheer. She’s like, “Come on guys, we can do it,” and she’s not just by my side but everybody’s side.

Q:  What are you looking forward to about nationals?

A:  I’m looking forward to having fun with my friends at Disney World and getting to compete with all these other amazing teams that we have gone against or have seen before.

Q:  What is your favorite cheer you have learned this year?

A:  Probably the “Hey Fans” cheer. It’s a new one that we did at competition and we are going to be doing that one a lot at games. It’s an easy cheer to learn and once you learn it, it’s like “O my gosh, I want to learn that” and the fans are like, “O my gosh, we need to stand up now.” It’s just kind of like an influence and energetic.