It's a sunny Thursday afternoon outside of Plant City High School, but inside the cafeteria, 20 teenage girls cook up enthusiasm for their passion: cheerleading.
The varsity cheerleaders spend most afternoons preparing for two types of events: cheering on the sidelines of a variety of sporting events and participating in cheer competitions.
They reach for the ceiling as they flip through the air. They work through a variety of stunts and cheers after a long day of classes, with practice to only be followed by homework. But all the hard work pays off when they step before football fans on Friday night.
"I hope they find a sense of pride in how hard they work, how much they learn, and hopefully achieving goals, both personal and team, that they set at the beginning of the year," said varsity cheerleading coach Karen Snapp. "I want them to realize that hard work and dedication in anything they do will make them champions no matter the end result."
That dedication and excitement could be felt in Madison Bradshaw's bathroom before heading to Alonso on Oct. 12. As Madison giggles with her friends Kaitlyn and Karaline about making sure her orange and turquoise ribbon is perfectly in place, she struggles to contain her excitement.
"There's no where else I'd rather be on a Friday," said Madison. "Being known as a person to support them and hype them up is a really great feeling."
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