Eastern has a wide variety of fall and winter sports. One of those is cheerleading, the sport the people don’t consider a sport. In some cases, that makes sense but most of the time it really doesn’t. 

  In high school cheer or side line, it can be a lot of waving pom poms and doing back tucks and front handsprings. While in all-star, yes back tucks and front handsprings are included, the main focus is stunting, and of course tumbling is important, but there’s also the challenge of trying to impress the judges with the two minute routine your team was given. 

   I interviewed a few people on Eastern’s varsity cheer team, and here’s what they had to say. I asked them what the biggest difference between all-star and sideline is, and they all said something along the lines of the “competition aspect.” Captain and junior, Maddy Specht, really hit it by saying that “all-star is more competitive while sideline is more showing school spirit.”

 The other team captain, Leah Jurado, stated that “even though one isn’t very competitive they are still both sports, and because side line is less competitive it’s better for people who have never cheered before that want to try it out.” 

   Leah said that stunting is the hardest for her. Although she is only a base and doesn’t do every stunt position, basing is very important. 

   For freshman Addie Larson, she is a flyer and has experience with all-star and sideline. She likes all-star better due to the family aspect that comes with it, and in side line it’s there too. If you are a flyer, you have to trust your bases and backspot; if not so much could go wrong. 

   This is Jordan Gunter’s first year cheering and he is a backspot, and from what I’ve seen, the trust is there. The entire team trusts and loves each other. The flyers, Maddy and Addie, could be put with any bases and backspots, and they would be fine. 

  Some things about cheer are really hard. They said hours, jumps and drama and I agree. In all-star and sideline those things are so difficult, especially the drama. There is so much drama but if you trust your team and your stunt group, it might go away.