Sparkman High School is known for its cheerleading program. They have won national, world, and Alabama state championships. That doesn’t happen without a lot of hard work, and it takes real dedication to be a part of this team. One of those dedicated athletes is junior Riley Hawkins. 

“I just shake it off and try to do the next thing,” Hawkins said. “You can’t let the first loss get to you because you will just do badly on the rest of them.”

Riley said cheer has helped her grow a lot, and her favorite part is building strong friendships with her teammates. She’s currently working on improving her skills and wants to bring more energy when cheering.

“My favorite thing about cheer is you can get close to people on another level,” Hawkins said. “My goal is to give more to the crowd when it’s time to compete.”

Sophomore Lily Benefield also shared what she does to get ready for a big competition. Her pre-competition routine includes getting ready with her best friend.

  “What I do to prepare for a competition is to meet with my best friend Lucy,” Benefield said. “We talk a lot. We put our makeup on, then we go to the competition.” 

Benefield’s next cheer competition is on October 19, and she’s excited for it. She also mentioned that she started cheer because of the people who encouraged her.

“I started cheering because my friends and mom inspired me to cheer,” she said.

For sophomore Dahlia Strudivant, being a Sparkman cheerleader has been a dream since she was little.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always looked up to Sparkman cheerleaders and wanted to be one ever since,” Strudivant said.

Now that she’s on the team, she loves everything about it. She likes traveling with her friends and learning new skills like a tuck. She also mentioned practice days are long and busy, but she doesn’t mind.

“We roll out nine mats, throw strips on the mat, stretch, run for 16 to 20 minutes, depending on what the coach is feeling, and then we run either gameday or traditional,” Strudivant said. “Then we roll the mats back in and go to lunch.”

Sparkman’s competition cheer team is not only about cheerleading, it’s about hard work, dedication, and growing as a person. Being a part of something bigger, a team that feels like family.