To promote Arcadia High School’s (AHS) first home football game, AHS Pep Squad held a short, but impactful, rally on Aug. 31 during lunch. They started off with a small pep talk, and then proceeded to settle into formation with matching red bows and outfits, ready to inspire school spirit at their first rally of the year.
Pep Cheer performed perfectly in sync, effortlessly flowing across the platform with sharp moves and building pyramids with one-legged extended stunts. However, in the middle of their performance, the music abruptly disconnected. The dancers were not deterred—they continued without hesitation as if nothing happened, finishing their routine with even wider smiles than the beginning.
After Cheer’s stage ended, Pep Song took the spotlight, dancing along to the upbeat music with their poms. Implementing ripples, turns, and eye-catching movements into their dance, they immersed the audience in their cleanly executed routine.
Junior Cheer Captain Simone Ball, who has been with Pep Squad for three years, gives us a little insight into her headspace when the music disconnected during their performance.
“As a Pep Squad [member], we always train to know our counts and choreography, so I knew automatically to start counting out because they correlate to the music,” said Ball. “I made sure everyone was on count while [considering] our next steps.”
Members of Pep Squad demonstrated their admirable level of flexibility and professionalism during their rally. It is clear their training has allowed them to place trust in each other—so much that they can rely on every individual to continue being adept, even without the accompaniment of music to sustain accuracy.
Evidently proving their dedication to the performance, Eden Lee, a freshman on the Song team, mentioned that she “was so zoned in that [she] couldn’t hear the cheers.”
The rally was very successful, managing to ignite enthusiasm and prompting many to attend the home football game at AHS. This rally was an excellent kickoff to start the year, so look forward to Pep Squad’s upcoming routines at AHS’ football games and rallies!
Photo Courtesy of Ms. Erickson
