In its seventh season, the Harker cheerleading squad started with a record twelve members, two more than last year.

“It was really exciting because we had a bunch of new girls who joined and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year,” Alisa Wakita (11) said.

Three freshmen, three juniors, and one senior joined the team this year. They find cheer to be a challenge, but the veteran members helped them adjust.

“It’s been really difficult because all the other girls are so used to it,” freshman Miranda Larsen said. “But the older girls have been really accepting and supportive so I feel it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”

Another newcomer, Raveena Panja (9) joined cheer because of family experience.

“My sister did cheerleading for four years, and I wanted to try it out also,” she said. “It is a very difficult transition because we have to do stunts and tumbling and dance routines, and they’re really fast.”

According to captain Daniela Lee (12), larger teams can perform more stunts, more easily captivate the audience, and utilize different talents of individuals. However, they have their disadvantages. With this squad, scheduling and practice space limitations are difficult to work around.

To prepare for the school year, most of the cheerleaders attended a three day summer camp run by the Universal Cheerleaders Association at UC Davis. During the school year, they practice for two hours every Wednesday and Thursday. They cheer at football games in the fall and basketball games in the winter.

Jill Bettencourt, now in her four and a halfth year of coaching, loves how cheer can bring the Harker community together.

“I believe that the cheerleading team helps bring together students from different groups and sports to promote the common cause of school spirit and unity,” Bettencourt said. “In addition, it helps promote and bring awareness to our growing athletics program.”

After spending hours together, the cheerleaders have bonded and developed their identity within the Harker community.

“It’s been great getting so many new people,” Elizabeth Edwards (11) said. “One of the great changes is that we have so many new juniors and freshmen. As the team grows, we’re just trying to keep the dynamic that we had last year. We’re all best friends.”

On Friday, the cheerleaders performed in front of the school at the homecoming rally.

“It was totally scary at first, but really fun,” freshman Jessica Wang said. “I was relieved at the end-not because I just wanted to get over with it, but because I made it through and didn’t mess up my stunt like I did at yesterday’s practice. Overall, it was tons of fun.”

On Saturday, the team performed the same cheer routine when the football team defeated Ribet Academy in the annual homecoming game.