Senior Night for the Malden High cheerleaders was a mix of both celebration and nostalgia, as they completed their season with an unforgettable sendoff. On November 16th, the emotional seniors walked down the field, surrounded by friends and family, ready to end this chapter of their lives and start a new one.
Senior Captain Claudia Hernandez Escobar expressed how great her evening was and how it was a “sentimental night, as I’m letting go of the sport I’ve been doing my whole life. I felt really loved that night.” Escobar has been cheering ever since she was little and is considering continuing the sport in college, but stated that her “body is starting to give up a little, so we’ll have to see.”
Escobar felt a wave of nostalgia as she was walking down the field and expressed how fast the season had gone by. “It took me back to when people would tell me, ‘these four years will fly by,’ like wow, it really is my last year,” expressed Escobar.
Senior Ndiaye Oliver-Destine felt just as supported as her mother walked her down the field, with her “coaches and fellow teammates” cheering her on. Along with all the support, the seniors had received posters and gifts from their loved ones.
“Walking down the field with my family, cheering with my teammates, and taking pictures with my friends,” was the most memorable moment of Senior Captain Taliyah Lauture’s night.
Something everyone can agree on is that they will miss the close relationships that the team had. Senior Patricia Mukasa reminisced about the passion that she found in cheer and how she’ll miss the “bonds with all the girls that were made stronger throughout the years.”
She expressed, “I will definitely miss all the fun we had, and the sisterhood we built, and of course, my stunt group. My favorite memory was when my stunt group hit a stunt we were struggling with, or whenever they made funny jokes…they made my last year so special.”
As the seniors looked back on their experiences this season, they emphasized the moments that made their time on the team meaningful. Escobar reflected on the past couple of years and when she was first asked to be captain by her coach.
“Before becoming captain for this year, I had only done one season with them, which was literally last year, so having her ask me to take that role made me feel really honored and made me want to step up.” She remembers that as her most memorable moment because she had not been planning to return to cheer after being injured her freshman year.
She gives credit to Lanza for convincing her to try out again and getting her to where she is now. Lanza was also impacted by Escobar as she never really saw herself doing cheer at first, “but wanted to try out with her.”
Escobar and Lanza, along with the other seniors on the team, took this night as an opportunity to not only appreciate the season they have had but also how the friendships they made shaped their journeys with the sport.
Looking ahead, the seniors offered words of encouragement to the team and wished them continued success. “I hope the team keeps a tight-knit relationship and continues to support each other as everyone continues to grow and develop together as a team,” Lauture finished.
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