By Jocelyn Anderson
There are lots of fun sports and activities offered during Benicia High School’s winter season! A popular sport is cheerleading. During the winter cheer season, our cheerleaders cheer at basketball games, including the boys’ JV, boys’ Varsity, girls’ JV, girls’ Varsity, and even our unified basketball team games. You can see our cheer team rocking at these games, cheering on our players
Cheerleading requires a lot of work and practice. Benicia High School Cheer Coach, Tiffany Anderson, states that, “The difference between fall and winter cheer is that we have fewer games but more practices. We do a lot of stunting, which takes more work and can be dangerous.”
The cheerleaders have practice multiple times a week, putting in lots of work to get ready for their games and half-time routines. Coach Tiffany also said, “The winter half-time routines are more challenging to choreograph but more entertaining!” This is Tiffany Anderson’s second year coaching the BHS cheerleaders and she says her favorite thing about coaching is helping the cheerleaders grow as athletes, and giving them a great team experience they will always remember.
Our BHS cheerleaders provide loads of entertainment and bring the spirit to the sports games. Coach Tiffany even stated that one of her favorite things about winter cheer is “that we are up close to the action of the game. We are able to raise the energy level in the gymnasium, and the coaches of the basketball team are appreciative of us.” One thing that Morgan Anderson (Freshman JV) mentioned that is different in winter cheerleading from fall cheerleading is that, “The cheers have more stomping and are more aggressive.” That is just one of the many differences between fall and winter cheer. However, overall it is nice that we are able to have a community within our sports teams at Benicia High School because the cheerleaders act like glue.
Lastly, Coach Tiffany gave some advice for students looking to try out for cheerleading this coming fall. She said, “My advice for new students wanting to try out is only try out if you are committed to attending practices and games, and you truly want to be a cheerleader and put in the work. It is hard work, and it is almost a year round sport. We are looking for positive people who want to bring spirit to the team and community.” These are the things to keep in mind if you are thinking about trying out for the 2025-2026 season!
The perspective of the cheerleaders themselves might be a little different from the coaches. One cheerleader, Morgan Anderson (Freshman JV), says her favorite thing about winter cheer is “being able to cheer inside where it’s warm.” She also says that she tried out for cheer because she wanted to help spread school spirit.
The cheerleaders are all on board about spreading spirit and creative positive energy when cheering, which is exactly what the coaches are looking for. When asked if she had any advice for students trying out to be on the team, Anderson said to “not stress too much about it and just have fun.” This is helpful advice because if you’re too stressed out and not having fun, then you won’t be able to create positive energy and bring spirit to the school.
A lot of students find themselves stressed with school work and homework and might wonder how these cheerleaders and athletes stay on top of it all while also attending so many practices and games. Anderson said to keep on top of your schoolwork, “You need to find the balance between the two, stay organized, and keep up with good time management.” This is difficult for many students who aren’t balancing a sport on top of school work, so it is truly impressive that these athletes can do it all. Lastly, Morgan says that she loves her experience being a cheerleader so far and she is looking forward to summer practices next year the most.
Overall, all of this shows how much goes into being an athlete in a winter sport and how much they bring to our school and community. Our winter athletes and sports teams are a big part of our school and bring a lot of fun and entertainment to everyone. Our school wouldn’t be the same without them and their hard work!
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