The nostalgia dazzles in big bows beside maroon and gold poms as the roar of the bustling crowds still rings in her ears. This is only a taste of the haze from Stephanie Dominguez’s time on the sidelines during football seasons.
Having witnessed its growth first hand, senior head cheer captain Dominguez believes the program has changed for the better since her freshman year to graduation season and for the past few months has been reminiscing about her four years of being on the squad.
“This cheer team has brought me not only an opportunity to grow, but an opportunity to create a new family and rekindle relationships,” Dominguez said. “I love it because it’s almost like an escape that I can go to and I love seeing everyone’s hard work while watching them come together as a team. There are definitely some times where it’s a little rough, but the majority of the time is great.”
Because of the six foot rule in 2020, Dominguez’s freshman year, COVID-19 took a heavy toll on the cheer squad, and as a result the team experienced having to work around the pandemic in order to continue to work as a team.
“Our tryouts were on video which was kind of good because if you messed up, you could retake it as many times as you wanted to,” Dominguez said. “But it was kind of frustrating because the only person that could help yourself was you. You were learning from a video rather than someone actually coaching you. I remember going into NCA (National Cheerleaders Association) camp and all of us having to get our temperatures checked and having to wear masks. In previous years, the cheer team used to go to hotels for camp, and now we do home camps.”
Dominguez feels that being a senior cheerleader is the “bittersweet” pinnacle of the public school cheer experience and that every chapter should be approached with mindfulness and cherishment.
“You’re finally able to represent all the hard work that went into building this team with all of the other seniors,” Dominguez said. “Senior year is such an incredible thing because it’s just so bittersweet; you recognize that this is your last time doing it and that you’ve got to have fun. I feel like you just enjoy everything so much more.”
In Dominguez’s eyes, creating and reigniting friendships through the cheer program shows a strong sense of girlhood, considering the fact that every cheerleader is there to support and (literally) lift each other up.
“I remember coming into freshman year super anxious,” Dominguez said. “I knew some of the girls on the team that went to my school before, but I wasn’t really close with them. I remember finding my first little group freshman year, and we were really close. Then from there, we decided to not keep reserving ourselves and start reaching out to the other squads, which soon led to pretty much everybody on the team. I had already met these people like five years ago, but it felt like I had actually just met them that same day, and it felt like we had already been best friends for so long.”
Dominguez had numerous motivators to reach for head captain over the years, ranging from her love for the program and the girls in it to a pact made with another middle school cheer captain working along beside her.
“I was a cheer captain my eighth grade year, and me and the other captain were both going to different high schools the following year,” Dominguez said. “We had told ourselves that we were both going to become captains of our high school teams, and we actually both did end up being captains of our cheer teams. Working with my friend eight grade year showed me how much I love helping out and working with others which inspired me to try out for freshman captain. It’s so fulfilling when I help someone and know that they can leave the room feeling happy with what they’ve done.”
Giving credit to the fact that the cheer program has become a stronger community over the years, Dominguez recalled a time when the cheerleaders were disfavored in the eyes of the Coyotes, and declared a plan of action to change this adversity.
“I remember coming in freshman year and our cheer coach telling us that a few years before, the cheerleaders got batteries thrown at them,” Dominguez said. “They constantly talked about how bad the reputation of the cheer team used to be, and now we don’t even talk about it anymore because it’s changed so much. We all love this school, and I definitely think there has been a big change from when we started.”
Dominguez leaves with a few final pieces of advice for the future generations of Heritage cheerleaders.
“Listen to your captain when she asks you to listen, because she is going to be the pen and paper of the Heritage cheer team,” Dominguez said. “Enjoy all of the time you have, even if you’re bored, even if you’re mad. When you’re a senior, you’re gonna realize that it’s all done, so enjoy it. Be sharp, be loud, and put a smile on your face. But most importantly, have fun.”
