After every layup, dunk, steal or free throw, there is an exhilarating chanting that keeps the basketball players and crowd motivated. Descendants of their long history, basketball cheerleaders are the heart of a basketball game’s crowd.
During the segregation of the mid-20th century, cheerleading spread to colleges all over the United States. Historically Black Colleges/Universities adopted their own style of cheerleading called “stomp and shake.” This unique style amplified school pride and unity among communities.
“Basketball cheerleading’s cheer voice is strong and powerful,” Rehana Poindexter (12) said. “Some people say it’s a ‘man voice,’ but we like it.”
White Station High School’s basketball cheerleading squad has its own long history. During the 2022-2023 school year, the team lost the coach they had the previous school year. Left with only their teacher sponsor and memories of their cheers, the cheerleaders had to work double-time. Poindexter was elected captain by the alumni coach the team acquired for the 2023-2024 school year. Under this same coach, the team has grown throughout the season.
“We’ve had to adjust to a lot of different coaching styles and team environments,” Julia Smith (12) said. “After all that adjusting, we’ve grown into a much better team than before.”
Since the team’s current coach Nylah Horton is a former Spartan basketball cheerleader, the cheerleaders are able to relate to and understand her. Furthermore, her experience gives her coaching style relevant substance.
“We’ve known her for a long time, so she’s like a friend to us,” Smith said. “We joke off with her a lot.”
From a non-cheerleading perspective, basketball and football cheer could be hard to differentiate; however, their styles are completely different. Football cheerleaders focus more on the technique of specific skills, while basketball cheerleaders focus on technique as well as the specific dancing that matches a cheer. Football cheerleaders use their normal speaking voice to chant, while their basketball counterparts deepen theirs.
“The skills we find important are different,” Poindexter said. “We are technical and strict, but with a rhythm to it.”
The team also has its own important hierarchy. A captain (Poindexter) and co-captain (Kalice Woods) are appointed by the team, and they try out before external judges to confirm their positions. The team also picks a “peer-cheer” (Smith) whose main focus is ensuring a friendly team environment. With the captains ensuring the team is well-prepared and the peer-cheer ensuring the team is in a good headspace, the team is able to cheer to the best of their ability.
“I am the main communicator between the team and the coach,” Poindexter said. “We make sure the team is up to date on everything.”
The team is known for their close bonds. They prioritize team bonding events such as sleepovers, dinners and outings. Through all their struggles, they always have one another.
“I have grown so many long-lasting bonds and friendships,” Smith said. “It gives me a strong community to have outside of school.”
