Eaton is a school that takes pride in their rowdy school-spirit. Whether it’s spirit week or being a member in student sections, EHS students are always eager to participate to show support for the school’s community. Even though traditionally Eaton has exceptional school spirit; one key thing has been missing from EHS until recently- cheerleaders.
Texie Jonsson came upon the idea of starting a cheerleading squad last year. She gathered a team of 10 girls and taught them the basics of cheer. Mrs. Jonsson is familiar with cheer and has a ton of experience in the dance and cheer realm. She was a power-tumbler, dancer, and cheerleader in junior high and high school. Her family is also dance orientated, as Mrs. Jonsson’s sister was a well-known dancer for Ballet West and owns seven dance studios in Utah. Mrs. Jonsson took everything that she knew from her background to create the first CHSAA sanctioned team Eaton has had in 10 years.
This will be the second season for the Eaton Cheer program. The team has grown both in size and skill, with 18 girls on the team. The squad shows great leadership in front of crowds and is never short of enthusiasm.The EHS cheerleaders have the role of pumping up the student sections at various sporting events and school related activities. They also get to showcase their dance and stunt skills through routines that they perform for the entire Eaton community.
Not only does the team perform for student sections, but they are also going to be competing this year, with the first competition coming up on October 28th. The team will perform a three minute routine comprised of dancing, cheers, and stunts.
Senior captain Haley Beall explained “competitions are nerve racking because even one wrong angle or misstep could doc our team from first to second place, but we’re excited for the challenge.”
Though the team may seem bubbly and high-spirited, don’t doubt their virtues of discipline and self motivation. The team has been preparing for the competition since June. They practice every Monday through Thursday from 6:15 to 7:30 before school.
The team captains, Kaylee Ratchford (24), Haley Beall (24), and Kaci Paulus (26), hold the team to a high standard and fill a huge leadership role. Beall said that each captain has “unique ways of enforcing rules and leading the team.” Zoey Hall, a freshman on the cheer team, said “the captains are reliable leaders of the team and are very good communicators.”
Mrs. Jonsson and the Eaton cheerleaders started from ground zero and built a strong, disciplined, program. It is just the beginning of hopefully many more generations of cheerleaders at Eaton High School, as Mrs. Jonsson has hopes for her own daughter becoming an Eaton cheerleader one day. Though the team still experiences some obstacles that come with being a new program, it has a very high ceiling and is setting high standards for the future of cheerleading at EHS.
