The hype of Air Academy High School is established around school spirit, pep rallies and sporting events. Keeping a constant mood of excitement, cheering for teams and performing routines are just the few things AAHS cheerleaders do.

So how do they manage all of this?

Bright and early, 6 – 7:15 a.m, dedicated cheerleaders and coaches put in hard work in the gym before the school day starts. Jenna Thomas is the head cheer coach and has been coaching at AAHS for two years. She has cheered since her high school days and then throughout college.

The cheerleading world is sometimes misunderstood and often faces criticism. Some students may think that cheering comes easy and only takes loud chants and a hair bow.

So how can people understand cheerleading more?

“We are leaders, we are presenters and we are athletes,” said Thomas. “The community is a group of people who have committed to loving each other through highs and lows of life, and through that process become wicked talented people and athletes.”

How are the academic lives of students impacted by cheer?

Regarding the academic lives of the athletes, there are some challenges. Lots of girls on the team have to learn time management skills in order to do all of their assignments and homework along with all their practices, games, and competitions. Cheerleaders must maintain good grades in order to keep their spot on the team, but a major downfall of cheerleading is injury.

“I have had two concussions during cheer season and it’s really hard to make up two weeks of work and tests, or in my case it was almost a month,” said sophomore and varsity cheerleader Stella Roberts.

With all the tricks and stunts it’s very easy for people to get hurt. This can have a huge impact regarding classroom time. Concussions, muscle tears, and broken bones are not uncommon in the cheer world. Being injured in school is not something anyone wants; missing class from a concussion can be very difficult as far as catching up and doing make-up work.

“Cheer isn’t just what the students see at games on the sidelines. We have competitions where we have a full routine and compete against the same schools other AAHS teams do,” said sophomore Grace Moos.

Everyone on the team is there for different reasons; whether it’s for fun, for the competition, or for a chance at a scholarship – cheerleaders are brought together and grow stronger as a community. It gets students in shape and is also a great way to make new close friendships!

“Everyone is really nice and we all support and look out for each other, we get super close because we spend a lot of time together. We are all just a big family,” said sophomore Emma Munson.

To support our hardworking varsity cheerleaders, root for them 8 a.m. Saturday, December 7 at the Denver Coliseum when they compete at the state competition!