by Mat George |

“We are the Blue Jays,  yea yea, and we are the best!”  This is just one of the many chants that 30 LHS Cheerleaders shout in front of fans.  For the past three years, Liberty’s cheerleaders have been state champions.  The girls will be in many cheer competitions to prepare for when they travel to Staley High School in December for the UCA regional competition. From there, they will progress to the UCA nationals in Florida the weekend before Valentine’s Day.
“We would love to see community support in December at this conveniently located competition,” senior Cheer Captain Sheridan Staton said.
Due to all the competitions that the girls will be participating in, there’s one thing is on a lot of people’s minds:  money.  The girls are doing many things to help raise money, including a kiddie clinic with the Sapphires this month as well as a fundraiser through Chik-fil-A.
“We made $500 from our fundraiser at Chick-fil-A.  We got $150 dollars from tips and the rest was from the 15 percent we got from the meals,” junior Maria Esparza said.
Cheerleading, like most things, requires a lot of effort and practice. To perform at top level in any type of competition or game, one must put in many hours of hard work and practice and have a goal in mind.
“When we go to Florida, I’m hoping to win.  But if we don’t then I’m just hoping to place as high as we can,” sophomore Haley Davisson said.
Being a senior means a lot of things.  One of these include going through things that the younger kids have already gone through.  The senior Jay Cheerleaders are the biggest class.
“The hardest part is really concentrating, but the seniors and captains play a really big part in helping get us back to work and they are really good role models,” junior Allie Holyfield said.
It takes more than hard work and practice to become good at something.  It also takes a little happiness and a drive that makes a person want to keep striving.
“My favorite part of cheerleading is performing in front of our school and cheering on all great Blue Jay sports.  Also, each one of us has the privilege to have 29 teammates close and able to count on,” Staton said.