Popular culture sometimes presents unfortunate stereotypes about cheerleading.

“I think that people think these cliches exist is because of movies and TV shows; the popular cheerleader who dates the star football player,” junior Grace Watson said.

Liberty cheerleaders differ from the well-known stereotyped image. 

Junior Grace Watson has been cheering for five years and is extremely likable and encouraging towards other people, especially her teammates. When cheer is finished in the fall, she plays basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring, all while maintaining a 4.4 GPA. On the side, Watson is a referee for CYC volleyball.

She has been playing basketball since she was in third grade and started playing varsity freshman year. With averaging six points a game, three steals and 2 rebounds each game, all while being the shortest one on the court, Watson stands out.

The main reason why Watson decided to do cheerleading is because of how enjoyable it was and to further the legacy of her mother being a cheerleader throughout high school.

Another cheerleader also stands out. Senior Juli Pritchett has been cheering for three years in high school, along with competing with the All Starz when she was 12 and doing eighth grade cheer in middle school. She has always found a love for cheer, especially competitions towards a state title.

Like many, she is aware about certain stereotypes that are present in today’s society. But Pritchett is the exact opposite of what others think when the word “cheerleader” comes to mind. She maintains good grades, practices good citizenship, and tries to be as kind and welcoming as she can to other people.

Pritchett is also a track star, running in the 100 meter and the 4×100 meter and has been doing track ever since middle school. Her personal record being 12.99 seconds for the 100 meter, receiving a first place spot in the 59th Annual Capital City meet. What kept her to keep pursuing track was the overall atmosphere of the team and the relationship she has with her teammates.

Even though Pritchett enjoys track, cheer will always be her favorite. On the side, she coaches at Starz Athletics and hopes to get a scholarship for cheer at Missouri University.

Both of these cheerleaders show great charisma. Not only are they smart, but they are extremely talented in other fields, such as playing different sports during the offseason.