Written by Ashely Rosenbaum
They can flip. They can fly. They can yell. They can cheer. They can choreograph. And do it all in skirts.One can hear them from stands, hear them from the field and hear them from the snack shack. They’re unmistakable in their black-and-gold uniforms, face paint and ribbon-tied ponytails. They are Harding’s cheerleaders, and they are here to make sure Harding’s school spirit is running strong, whether pumping up the fans into a football frenzy or getting the Rhodes rowdy.This year’s cheerleading squad is unique because they are made up of different personalities, abilities, talents and a large number of new freshmen, team members said.Freshman Tessa Brown said that being a cheerleader for the Bisons is a great way to be an asset to the school.”It’s a great way to encourage people and get to know wonderful girls,” Brown said.Freshman Katie Paylor said being a part of a large team is a means to meet new people and grow closer with the older members.”I am used to being a part of a huge class on the cheerleading squad, so it doesn’t bother me,” Paylor said. “I love all the freshman girls, and I can’t wait for us to grow closer in the upcoming years.”Sophomore Hailey Nowakowski said the cheerleaders this year have great chemistry.”Every year there are usually a significant amount of freshmen on the cheerleading squad, but they always mesh right in,” Nowakowski said. “This year has been a really great year for the cheerleaders, and I think that all the freshman have fit in well with us and completed out the squad.”Senior cheerleading captain Alyssa Dugan said that the team has been supportive of each other in trying times.”The team has been so wonderful this year, from getting along so great to learning all the material and now with making all the changes needed since I have been injured,” Dugan said. “They were wonderful the night of Midnight Madness when literally minutes before, we had to change things because I got hurt. Since I am out the rest of the season the girls have really stepped up to change what has been needed. They are a great group of girls and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”Cheerleading sponsor Kellee Blickenstaff said that the team would not be the same without the new freshmen who come in each year.”I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have a big crew of freshmen,” Blickenstaff said. “They bring high school spirit and the upperclassmen start getting busy with majors and other commitments. It is a great way for them to get involved in campus right off the bat. They are a very talented group of girls.”Blickenstaff said that this year’s cheerleaders are a very talented group of girls that each bring something different to the table.”This group of girls’ tumbling abilities are high-level,” Blickenstaff said. “This group as a whole has sweet, kind, Christian young ladies that realize what they are here for. They are here to support the team and bring school spirit.”
