Friday nights at a football game is about a lot more than the team as numerous student groups and organizations take part in the activities. One of the most spirited of these are the cheerleaders. The Red Ledger’s Darby Blaylock caught up with cheerleader Emily Norwood in this week’s Q&A.

The Red Ledger: What do the cheerleaders do at practice in order prepare for football games?

Norwood: “Every practice we review cheers and stunts that we would like to perform at the game to make sure everyone knows them.”

The Red Ledger: What kind of stuff do you do in preparation for Fridays?

Norwood: “Our goal as cheerleaders is to get the crowd involved and for them to cheer for the team. We like to do cheers like the rumble and aye-o because everyone knows them. Also before games we set up several signs around the school and around the field.”

The Red Ledger: Some people say cheerleading isn’t a sport, what do you cheerleaders have to say about that?

Norwood: “Sport: an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. It is not a sport because there are not competitions but it does involve a lot of hard work and is a serious activity because we are more involved and attend more games than any other sport. We also condition every practice at a fast pace. But I do think competitive cheer is a sport.”

The Red Ledger: What kind of conditioning do you do?

Norwood: “We run and Mrs. Leary always has like different stations that have different things and we do Zumba.”