As the final raising of their pom-poms nears, the Malden High Cheer Team approaches the end of their season with only one performance left. Regardless of the outcomes of the games they performed at, the cheerleaders’ energy and drive resulted in them delivering amazing performances each and every time.
This past cheerleading season has been filled with many obstacles that worked against them, but due to the team’s persistence, they were able to overcome them and thrive. "It was an interesting year, but I definitely think that we were able to pull through together in terms of advancing our skills this year compared to last year,” said Head Coach Jazmine Dessert.
Last year’s Cheer Team was made up of several seniors who graduated, leaving lots of open spots on the team. However, that did not last very long, as the team welcomed several new recruits this year. “A lot of girls have not cheered before, so it’s all new material for them, but they definitely got the hang of things quickly by pushing themselves to understand the techniques and the proper ways to do things,” said Dessert.
Regardless of whether some girls had less experience with the sport than others, collaboration and withholding a sisterhood is truly what made this season a successful one. Kennedy Clark, a senior who has been on the team for all four years of her high school career, described cheer as “a sport that demands collaboration, leadership, and cooperation in order to be successful, which is what our team definitely has, and we’ve shown it in our performances.”
Cheer Captains Isabella Oliveira and Giselle Dessert. Photos submitted by Haylee Seeley
As someone who’s been on the team for a long time and has seen the team go through lots of changes, "being on a team with a whole bunch of girls without much drama and lots of love always motivated me to return,” Kennedy continued. A healthy sisterhood among the girls also was a big factor in their success throughout this season.
Alecia Louigene, a sophomore, was originally the Cheer manager during her freshman year, but eventually joined this year. She describes it as “a big family where you always feel safe as they always have your back regardless.”
The teammates' relationship with each other reflects in all their performances as almost all of the choreography that is produced is created by each of the girls. “Regardless of everyone having different individual goals in terms of stunts, they’re able to come together and combine all their thoughts and ideas into a routine that everyone is comfortable with," explained Dessert. One of their personal favorite choreographies is called the “whip it” dance, which they performed during halftime at one of the football games.
Moving forward, Malden High’s Cheer Team continues to grow and develop whether they are under the bright Friday night lights or not. As their fall season comes to a close, that has not limited them for the things they are capable of next year. Dessert mentioned one of their biggest goals for the next season, which is “to compete after years and we’re hoping [to put] Malden back on the map.”
