Movies, TV shows, media; what do they all have in common? Cheerleaders. Every form of entertainment portrays them one way: dumb and ditzy. Caris Rich, a 14-year-old freshman at Heritage High School (HHS), is proof that cheerleaders are so much more than their sport.
Having been in cheer, “since [she] was too little to remember,” Rich described cheer as playing a major role in her development.
“It’s definitely opened up my social skills. I feel more connected to others because of cheer,” Rich said.
Rich describes cheer as more of an outlet than just your average hobby, she said, “I’ve been through some pretty hard stuff, and cheer was always there for me.”
But how is Rich different from your stereotypical cheerleader? That’s easy. She’s a leader, she’s smart, and she is stronger because of the activity that the media portrays as a “mean girl hobby”.
Currently, Rich serves as the Class of ‘29 vice president. She said that she is, “very excited about it,” and is looking forward to the year ahead.
Additionally, Rich has been in every gifted class available to her since she was six. In her earliest school years, she was always at the top of her class. She was one of the smartest students. Not only because she was just smart. It was also because she had learned hard work and dedication through cheerleading.
In middle school, Rich recalled, “I was taking really hard classes. I liked to challenge myself. My lowest grade, I believe, was a 96 for the entire three years.”
“She was highly motivated,” said Courtney Boyd, Heritage Middle School (HMS) teacher and Rich’s mentor at the time. “One thing that always sticks out to me was her first presentation that she did on how she wanted to be a brain surgeon and talked about her mom… and that was what motivated her. I always thought that was really impressive, and she was an excellent student.”
While, yes, Rich is a cheerleader and it has played a role in who she is, it isn’t all of who she is. Differently from TV and movies, Rich has a life outside of cheerleading, even saying that it isn’t all glamorous or perfect, and it takes serious hard work and dedication.
“I don’t like how long practices are sometimes, and I don’t like choreography, but I do love how rewarding it feels to be on the sidelines and be representing our school,” she said.
She also stated that, “The hardest thing I had to do with cheer was just going to competition practices every day, because it was draining, and at that point it didn’t feel rewarding. But, then it would because you just realize that you’re not doing it forever and that you’re supposed to enjoy it.”
So, no, cheerleading is not all glitz and glamour, but it’s also not a sport for ditzes and mean girls. As we learn from Rich, it takes hard work and determination from people who are intelligent and live colorful lives.
