Ruffling their poms, the winter sideline cheer team chants, “Yell, yell, everybody go Chargers, aye, go Chargers!” on the basketball court on Dec. 4. According to the Virginia High School League (VHSL), the team is classified as an auxiliary group rather than a sanctioned sport.
(Lizzie Sun)
“We don’t get as much recognition sometimes,” junior Mya Williams said. “I think winter sideline cheer is super underrated. Hitting our cheers very strong and keeping a loud voice all the time is hard because we are inside and there’s a lot going on around, especially when the ball is in play.”
This lack of recognition, according to Williams, comes from the difference between competitive and sideline cheer. Competitive cheerleading is sanctioned and recognized by the VHSL; teams compete in official competitions. Since sideline cheerleading is an auxiliary group, they do not; their role is to boost team spirit and support a school’s chosen sports team. As part of this preparation, the winter sideline cheer team of 15 members practices twice a week with conditioning exercises.
“It’s time-consuming, and it does sometimes weigh on your body a lot,” sophomore Lesly Hernandez said. “Some days I wake up sore right after practice.”
Sideline cheer does not include competing, as its focus is on boosting the spirit for the school’s team sport. As part of this role, the winter sideline cheer team supports only the boys and girls varsity basketball teams during home games.
“Every time we play at home, we definitely want an electric atmosphere,” senior basketball player Sahas Manchireddy said. “The cheer team gets everybody as loud as possible. Because that helps us play better, it can affect the opponents, too. We get some momentum and that’s really how you win basketball games.”
Despite its non-competition-focused nature, sideline cheer still is required to follow VHSL guidelines, including having adult supervision and practices complying with the National Federation of State High School Associations Spirit Rules Book. VHSL Assistant Director for Athletics Kelley Haney oversees sideline cheerleading and recognizes the importance sideline teams can have in high school.
“I do think that sideline cheerleaders have a bigger role in their community because they are the people that are engaging the student body,” Haney said. “Sideline teams really can engage many different types of people in the community.
Several of the team’s cheers in previous years, according to Williams, were difficult to perform because they relied on audience responses amid low crowd engagement. This year, to increase participation, the team added performances, including stunts, during every basketball halftime.
“We’re really just cheering for Chantilly,” Hernandez said. “It feels more personal; it’s to our school.”
