Cheerleading at Grandview High School might look easy from the stands. The athletes flip, jump, and cheer perfectly in sync, but what the crowd doesn’t see is the effort behind every routine. The team practices almost every day, competes nearly every weekend, and balances schoolwork, games, and personal responsibilities.

With a season that spans nearly the entire year, athletes and coaches must remain mentally and physically focused for months at a time. The limited breaks mean they are constantly preparing for games, competitions, or new routines, which can be draining even for experienced athletes. 

“It definitely gets exhausting sometimes, but we stay strong as a team and keep showing up for each other,” Head coach Graycee Carlton said.

Carlton knows that the way a practice feels can shape the entire week. When the routines get tougher or the team is tired, she leans into building a positive environment so the athletes have the energy to keep pushing forward, even on the hardest days. 

“Having a positive attitude and high energy really helps us push through the hard days,” Carlton said. 

Even with the right energy, cheerleading depends on teamwork more than anything. Every stunt requires multiple people working together, and even if one person is missing or injured, the group has to adjust to their entire plan, which adds pressure and slows down progress.

“If one person is gone, it affects the entire group. We need everyone to make our stunts work,” Carlton said.

That pressure is something athletes feel strongly too, especially leaders like Junior Kyan Thompson, who has been cheering since she was four years old. With over a decade of experience, she understands how demanding the sport is, both in the gym and outside of it.

“People don’t realize how much we balance games, competitions, school, and trying to stay positive through all of it,” Thompson said.

Thompson believes that the physical side of cheerleading is something people underestimate. Whether she’s learning more advanced tumbling or working on tougher stunts, each skill takes strength, repetition, and confidence, making the process both challenging and rewarding. 

“The hardest part physically is pushing myself to get stronger skills. It takes a lot of my strength and focus to move up,” Thompson said.

Even when practices feel long, the team leans on each other to stay motivated. Many cheerleaders look to their teammates for support, especially on days when they’re tired or facing difficult skills.

“Taylor inspires me because she’s always positive and brings everyone up,” Thompson said.

Throughout the long schedule, competitions, schoolwork, and constant challenges, one thing has stayed the same. The connection between the athletes. For many of them, the friendships and team bonds are what make the hard days worth getting through.

“I stay in cheer because of the people. Being part of this team makes everything worth it,” Thompson said.