Cheerleaders Learn From Their Hectic Schedules

Between juggling homework, after-school jobs, college applications and extracurricular activities, today’s teenagers are learning time-management skills more quickly than ever before.

Cinnaminson High School cheerleaders are no exception, and are finding the skills to succeed amid their hectic schedules.

Cheerleading is a very demanding sport and requires commitment, athletic ability and talent. The Lady Pirates showcase this in their coordinated routines at basketball and football games. Fusing a combination of dance moves, back flips and teamwork, the girls put on an inspirational show for their audience each and every time.

“Most of the girls have been cheering together since the first grade,” said cheerleading head coach Gail Glaberman. “They’re like a family. This year, the team is not competing and is focusing more on school spirit.”

Despite the demanding schedule of cheerleading, many of the girls have found time to also participate in other school activities, such as being part of the yearbook or newspaper staff and a member of the student council.

Senior Mary Cook is a cheerleader, vice president of the student council and an editor for The Ship’s Log, the high school newspaper. Between all of her other commitments, she works part time at Panera Bread.

“I helped to organize the homecoming dance and pep rallies this year for student council,” Cook said. “We set up all of the decorations for the dance, which had the theme of 'Cities.' There was a giant city skyline in the corner behind the DJ booth.”

Mary doesn’t have a problem with her busy schedule at all.

“I’m very organized and get a lot of sleep," she said. "Plus, this will all help me get into a good college because it looks good on my applications.”

Mary’s teammate, senior Angie Colon, is also a member of The Ship’s Log. Angie is the newspaper’s features editor and writes about topics her peers find interesting.

“We find things that students are into and those become the feature stories,” said Angie. “I started my freshman year as a staff writer and wrote about sports. We release five issues a year and start working on them a month before they come out. In between issues, we analyze current events and journalism books to keep up to date on things.”

Angie also works part-time at the retail clothing store Rue 21 in Cinnaminson.

“My job sometimes does run into my cheerleading schedule,” she said. “But I usually work on a set schedule so it’s OK.”

Cheerleading seniors Taylor Bucci and Kim Kennedy both participate on the high school’s yearbook committee, called The Buccaneer.

“My favorite part about being an editor for the yearbook is doing the layout for the pages,” said Taylor. “I like putting my input in and designing the yearbook too. This year’s theme is called 'Redefined' and the yearbook is going to be set up like a dictionary.”

This is Kim's second year on the yearbook staff.

“I wanted to do it before but I just didn’t have the time," she said. "It’s now offered as a class so I could join it. During the summer, we went to a yearbook camp and came up with ideas for this year’s theme. We then voted on which theme we all liked best.”

The girls still have time to enjoy their friends during their busy schedules.

“There is a great camaraderie among the team,” said Gail. “We did a lot of team-building games to bring the girls together, including relay races and a questionnaire about each girl.”