By Derrick Smith

A high school cheer squad has a lot of things that they do around campus. They are on the sidelines for football and basketball games, cheering on their team to victory. They work to get the crowd in the stands loud and energetic. And they spread school spirit throughout the year. But the Heritage Hall cheer team, like a lot of other cheer teams around the state, also has their own competitions to compete in. Head coach Heather Showalter is in her thirteenth season leading the program and says that they hope to build off of last year’s success.

“We had an outstanding season last year,” Showalter said. “We were the runner up in Class 5A state and we also placed third in Class 4A Game Day. I’m looking forward to see how well we do this season.”

Senior captain Aiden Walker is proud to be a cheerleader for the Chargers and she really enjoys doing what she does. 

“It is so much fun to cheer on the sidelines at football games,” she said. “I enjoy leading the students and parents in cheers.”

Coach Showalter her team does a great job of keeping the fans involved and they are never satisfied with where they are.
“Our teams biggest strength is leading the crowd and also having the willingness to always improve their skills,” she said. “They are always eager to improve and be better.”

Walker says that she is surrounded by a great team and they all work so hard together.

“I really appreciate the teams work ethic,” she said. “Everyone is always willing to try something new in order to make the team the best it can be.”

In order to keep the team chemistry strong, coach Showalter and her squad do different things together which allows them to bond.

“We attend nationals every year as a team in Dallas and we go to camp in Tulsa,” she said. “We also love eating dinner together and getting ready before games.”