Just like any athletic coach, cheer coaches look for hard work and continued improvement from their squad. Whether they only cheer for sporting events or if they are involved in cheer competitions, they want to see their athletes being the best they can be. Samantha Mcnally is in her second year as the coach of the Nathan Hale High School cheer team. She knows that if they keep the way they are going, they have great things ahead of them.

“I am so incredibly proud of these kids and the growth we have seen over the last year,” Mcnally said. “I am so proud to represent them and lead them with the passion I have for them. I am excited for the year we have ahead of us and the development we will continue to push ourselves to have. There is so much camaraderie in our group. The kids are always excited to be there and bring a good attitude and fresh ideas.”

That hard work that they have invested has not gone unnoticed. This past summer at the Universal Cheerleaders Association camp, the team had four All-Americans. They also placed third in All-City at last year’s competition.

One of the seniors on the squad, Megan Higgins, enjoys being a part of this team and how it feels like a family.
 “Something that I personally love about my cheer team is that we’re always there for one another,” Higgins said. “Also that we are adaptable, no matter the situation we’re always there to keep our team and crowd in good spirits. We definitely know how to get the crowd excited. I think our team is so enthusiastic when it comes to cheering and I love that for us. I love the way our crowd interacts with us and how fun they can make cheering feel for the team, I also enjoy cheering on our players in football and in basketball because you can definitely see a difference in their confidence when we are there to hype them up and get the crowd involved.”