![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
From cheering under the stadium lights with football fans in the stands to inside the gym getting the student section hyped for the varsity basketball teams, winter cheer has come a long way this season. Most notably, the Phoenix cheer program has a fall cheer team that dominates the track, with their spirit continuing on in the form of a winter sideline team. As they spent the season supporting the varsity girls and boys teams, the cheerleaders learned a lot throughout the course of the season.
Although winter cheer doesn’t perform the same stunts as the fall cheer team, the cheerleaders work just as hard in getting their cheers to be as sharp as possible. “My favorite cheers are the stomp and shake ones because those are the ones we used to do at my old school,”’ junior Aniya Walker said.
A constant throughout both cheer seasons, senior captain Reagan Carper chose to further her commitment in cheerleading at Virginia State University, and she expressed her gratitude to the people that helped her along the way. “I thank god, my family, and friends who have supported me through this journey, as well as my cheer coaches whom I have been with for the four years,” Carper said. “They really are the best people I have gotten to know here at school.” She plans on not only cheering but also minoring in dance.
Many of the cheerleaders are looking forward to having a blast during next year’s fall cheer as they use this winter cheer to sharpen their skills. With jumps, cheers, and stunts, they prepare to come back from summer break ready to get out there to hype up the Phoenix pit with their new tricks.
