As varsity cheerleader Jordynn Bloss puts the last touches on the goodie bags for her assigned football players, she reminds herself to hang up her three signs before the home game on Friday. Showing appreciation for the football players is just one of the many tasks required of each cheerleader.

“We’ve been doing goodie bags and all the other things for years,” Bloss said. “It’s almost a tradition, but people also expect us to do it. We get complaints if we don’t do it.”
During the football season, the girls do many things to show their support for their school and their team. Decorating the houses and cars of the football players as well as the hallway for homecoming are the most visible.

“I feel like it is kind of cool we do all of these things,” junior Taylor Adams said. “However. It takes a lot of money and time. Sometimes it affects our grades and we lack sleep when we have to stay up late to decorate. It would be nice to receive at least a thank you.”

Most of the items each girl must buy comes out of their own pockets. These items include all of the spirit wear for each individual game. For example, each girl must buy the Wounded Warrior T-shirt for the game each year.

“There are a lot of times that the games have themes and we wear special items, like socks, that we have to buy,” freshman Ariana Mansour said. “Socks were $6 and there were two or three games we had to buy new socks. That adds up.”

Every few years, the team gets new warm-ups which are usually around $70. Adding to this cost are the tumbling classes each girl must pay $10 a week to attend.

“By the end of the football season, I spent about $770, not including Pay to Play,” Adams said. “It is a lot of money, but as a cheerleader, you do know you will be paying out of pocket expenses on the stuff for the goodie bags and decorations.”

The amount of effort pulls at some, like any other sport. But it is up to each girl to pull through and perform the responsibilities required as a cheerleader.

“Cheer requires dedication and it comes down to if you’re willing to spend your time doing these things and being there when you’re needed,” Adams said. “I feel like cheer requires a little bit more commitment and time investment because of the extra things we do. But when it comes down to it, when you’re a part of a team, you have to give your full effort and be willing to do whatever that sport requires you to do.”

There are many other sports and clubs in which members must pay a large sum of money out of pocket. See the sidebar for more information.