Look at the very top of Sahuaro Cheer’s pyramid and you will find freshman, Leslie Andrade.  Leslie, who has only been cheering for three years, is one of just three freshmen on the Varsity Cheer team. Leslie started cheerleading at 11-years-old and her first team was the (Youth) Wildcats, which cheered for the Wildcats football team (Youth). When I asked her how it felt to be a Varsity cheerleader she said she was “glad that she had the opportunity.” She also explained how in the cheerleading process, the coaches pick you to be on a specific team. Jr varsity is for the freshman football team and varsity has you traveling and doing more competitions than Jr varsity. Leslie is one of the smaller cheerleaders in the squad – she is 5’1″.

Leslie tried out for the cheerleading squad thinking she wasn’t going to make the team, but when she ended making varsity she was very enthusiastic. Leslie joined the squad because she thought it was “fun” and she has a passion for cheer. Being on the cheerleading team Leslie tells me that it’s “exciting” and it gives her a “good spirit.” She says that trying out was hard because the coaches look for people who actually want to be on the team rather than some girls who just want to be on the team to look good in the outfits that they have, and that’s why Leslie Androde loves being a varsity cheerleader.