Pompoms rustle and hair ribbons sway as the cheer squad performs their practiced performance in perfect time for the crowd.
“Our uniforms have been around for a long time,” senior cheer captain Mariah Haley said.
According to Haley, their uniforms are from former junior and varsity squads and if none of the leftover outfits fit someone on the team, they get their own personally tailored outfit.
“It’s hard to find one that fits just right,” sophomore Brittany Espinosa said. “They’re either way too small or don’t fit it some places.”
The coaches order the uniforms from the company Varsity, which is a company many schools use, and the design is chosen by the company. The cheerleaders are not a part of the designing. Junior varsity uniforms are purple or red, which is something they decide before their performances.
“I don’t like them because you constantly have to pull your skirt or your top down which can sometimes be very uncomfortable,” Espinosa said. “One thing I like about them though is our red outfit is really cute.”
With the uniform, they are required to wear white ankle socks, spanx (which they pay for) that matches the uniform, a white liner under their tops, and their hair has to be up.
“I don’t quite know why the outfit is so much of an importance to the performance, it’s just clothes,” Espinosa said. “The only thing that really matters is our performance and how well it’s performed.”
16jschaffer@usd489.com