Granite Falls has something to cheer

Published 9:48 pm Thursday, February 19, 2009

GRANITE FALLS — Cheerleaders need to be athletic, but it requires more than that.

The girls learn discipline and self-respect, and they need to keep their grades high, said Susan Black, who has been coaching the squad at Granite Falls High School for three years now.

“They are kind of a model for what everyone should be … They’ve developed values that will carry them through,” said Black, who is also a social studies teacher at the high school.

One of the fun things about cheerleading is supporting other athletes. That means a lot for the school, Black said.

For the first time in school’s history, the team competed this year in the state’s cheerleading championship. The team placed ninth, Black said. With seven members, it was the smallest one to compete.

The reason the squad is so small? Black’s strict rules and requirements are not easy to keep up with. “It’s a rigorous program and not everybody is up for the challenge,” she said.

Girls’ grades can’t drop below C- and they don’t attend parties. “People are just looking for cheerleaders to fall,” Black said. “They have to work very hard to maintain their respectability.”

Stereotypes about cheerleaders still linger in society, and the squad members have worked hard to build up their reputation, Black said.

The girls dream big, Black said, and whatever their goals the skills they are learning will prove to be useful for their careers. “It will set them up for life,” she said. “I believe each one will be successful in her own way.”

Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.