Park Center Senior High School’s new sideline cheer program sees popularity, success

Last winter, Park Center Senior High School formed a new sideline cheer team for students interested in a cheer program geared toward cheering at Park Center athletic events rather than cheer competitions, and the program has seen huge success in its first full year.

The enthusiasm for a sideline cheer opportunity was so great that coaches had to cut around 40 students who tried out for this year’s team. The sideline cheer team cheers at the school’s football games along with both girls and boys basketball games. They also perform at other events such as the school’s pep fests and an upcoming Black History Month celebration on Feb. 7. 

“There were a lot of kids interested in cheer but didn’t necessarily want to do competitions - they just wanted to cheer for their own school’s games,” said coach Briana Rose Lee. “The competition team isn’t typically able to cheer at basketball games because they have their own competitions to focus on, but there was enough interest to have both types of squads.” 

Though competition is not the focus of sideline cheer, the team did participate in a competition among other local sideline cheer teams in December, where they showed off their self-choreographed dance and cheers. They walked away with first place prizes in both the showcase dance performance and the cheer battle section. 

“I encourage the girls to choreograph and own their own dances and cheers,” said  Lee. “It’s a creative outlet for them and gives them ownership over their experience.”