Divided for the better

By: Lina Castillon

For as long as I can remember, sports have played an important role in my life. It was until now that cheer has had a big impact on me. The Yerba Buena High School cheer team is where I found my love for cheer. Even though some people believe cheer not to be a sport, I believe it is.

One of the team's favorite memories was the football game where we went up against Gunderson High School. We were excited because the Gunderson cheerleaders had challenged us to see who could be louder. Our adrenaline was up and we were happy.

Jessica Sandoval a former cheerleader at Yerba Buena High School, said “One of my favorite memories from cheer was when we went up against Gunderson.”

We would go up on the Bleachers and stomp as hard as we could. We would yell so loud we didn’t care if we would wake up without a voice. We were so excited we didn’t even notice how cold it was.

A former cheerleader at Yerba Buena High School, Jianna Jovero said “ One of my favorite memories from cheer is when we would all hit our stunts”

Another Memory everyone was fond of is when we would all hit stunts after failing many times. The feeling of accomplishing something would bring everyone joy especially because we all worked really hard for it.

Sadly, even though we loved cheer we had to say goodbye to that part of our lives.

Cheer was one of those things where I, along with everyone else, would find it a distraction to take us away from our worries. Even though we had our good days, there were still certain things the team was missing.

According to Eunice Parisi-Carew from LeadChange.com, “ Effective teams hold themselves and each other accountable for commitments made and the results.”

The Captain for J.V. Cheer at Yerba Buena High School, Veronica Nguyen said “A bond within a team grows from not being better than one another, but becoming better together.”

A team should always fail and succeed together. Working as a team is something the YBHS team lacked and was one of the reasons the team fell apart. A student at Yerba Buena High School, Priscilla Rodriguez, said “ Honestly, we were never a team”.

Team bonding is a very important aspect that helps a team come together. Knowing everyone on the team and being comfortable with them makes everything much better.

According to ArbiterSports.com, “By providing your athletes opportunities to connect with one another, you’re letting them see one another in a different light. Teambuilding between individuals means better performance as a group. Additionally, teams that understand each member’s strengths and weaknesses are better prepared to adapt to changing performance situations.”

A former cheerleader at Yerba Buena High School, Elle Marie Anggo, said “what makes a team bond is positive communication and boosting people up and not bringing them down”.

Communication is key in a team and without it, no team will succeed.

Sylvia Ortiz, A former cheerleader at Yerba Buena High School, said “ listening to everyone, Talking things out, and no back talking when there’s an issue is what keeps a team together”.

Being able to approach anyone on your team without feeling scared or thinking that the person will get hurt is what lets you know that there is trust between the team. Everyone should be able to give and accept constructive criticism but it also matters how you tell the person. Considering the teams feelings is showing you have respect for them as well.

A former cheerleader at Yerba Buena High School, Valeria Solorzano, said “ Respect and being reasonable brings a team together”.

Respect is very important in a team and without it a team will never grow.

Alanah Peña, A former cheerleader at Yerba Buena High School, said “I didn’t feel heard most of the time and sometimes it would cause me to doubt myself”.

According to Katie Martinelli from HighSpeadTraining.com “No one wants to feel like they are being disregarded. Whether you’re a coach, captain or teammate, you want to feel like your ideas, feelings and presence are respected.”

“We discuss what each person has to work on and fix the problem by finding solutions. You can’t solve anything if nothing is being talked about” said J.V. Cheer captain, Veronica Nguyen.

Taking everyones opinions into consideration is important because that is what develops a team. When people feel heard it brings positive vibes into the group. Positivity is the key to everyone feeling motivated.

Reminding your teammates that they are appreciated motivates them into wanting to do better. How do you expect a team to grow when there is no motivation?

Even though the sport had its ups and downs, I don’t think anyone regrets joining. Cheer filled an empty spot in our hearts for many of us and brought us happiness at some point.

My favorite part about cheer was when we’d perform. Before we’d go up I would be so nervous I wouldn’t stop shaking but when we’d go on and the music would start all of that would go away.

Andrea Espulgar said her favorite part about cheer was doing stunts & being able to cheer with friends.

Amanda Chan’s favorite part about cheer was making new friends and laughing and having a bond together.

Alanah Peña’s was flying and learning new things.

Sylvia’s was learning new routines, cheering people on, the satisfaction of learning and performing what we all worked so hard on.

Elle’s was being given the chance to try something she’s never done before while being surrounded by many positive and amazing girls.

and cheering was definitely the best part of being on the team for everyone.

Despite the team not being together anymore, there are still many memories that keep us connected. In our hearts we will always be a team.