Cheerleaders have been a tradition at sports games ever since male cheerleaders began cheering at sports games in 1898, but it wasn’t till the 1920s that women started participating in cheerleading, according to Time magazine. Nowadays the cheerleaders’ cheerful cries and “hoo raas” echo the gym, but typically just for boys games. This year was the first time in the last four years at Lane where cheerleaders were consistently provided for a girls sport, according to Varsity cheerleader Brianna Murphy, Div. 850. For the first time ever, athletes on the girls basketball team consistently received cheers of support and encouragement throughout their games.

As anyone can see from walking into a girls basketball game at Lane, there are not as many fans watching and supporting as at a boys basketball game. Cheerleaders can help encourage players to make that free throw, and keep their energy up till the last quarter. This year was Murphy’s third on the team, and her first cheering for girls.

“The more people who are there, the more pumped up and excited the basketball players are to play,” Murphy said. “I think they did a lot better overall with the larger attendance,”

The scheduling of cheerleaders has changed a lot over the years at Lane. Mr. Hofman, the athletic director, said that when he went to Lane, there were cheerleaders at wrestling matches. According to Hofman, where the cheerleaders decide to cheer depends on the team’s coach. This year, the team’s new coach, Ms. Cronin, had some fresh ideas.  

“I cheered for girls when I was in high school and my thought on it is there’s no difference between boys and girls,” Cronin said. “They’re still a team here at Lane that needs support and that’s what half our job is as cheerleaders, to support our school sports teams.”

After Cronin initiated her team to cheer for the girls basketball team, she said an agreement was able to be made so that her team would cheer for boys and girls games equally.

“I feel bad for the girls because they work just as hard as the boys do and they deserve school support just like the boys do,” Cronin said. “I’m really glad this is a first stepping stone for this to happen for continuous years.”

Although the girls have cheerleaders now, some are still wondering why it has taken so long.

“I think we should have been cheering for the girls a long time ago, and I’m actually really shocked that this just started now because it’s 2017 and this whole issue of women’s rights should not be a thing still — it should all be equal,” Murphy said.

The girls basketball team is grateful for their new support at games. Varsity basketball athlete, Grace Clifford, Div. 859, has seen her team play with and without cheerleaders throughout her time at Lane.  

“It’s kind of sad,” Clifford said, “It definitely feels great to have them now, but I think the girls have been doing such a good job in basketball for a long time, so it’s sad we haven’t had them yet.”

The cheerleading team now has to make many sacrifices to cheer for both boys and girls games.

“Every time we cheer for a basketball game, our two and a half hour practice [for competition season] is cut down to 45 minutes, so about two days out of each week of the basketball season we lose about three hours of our own practice time,” said Cronin, explaining her team’s rigorous schedule.

The boys and girls teams also treat the cheerleaders differently.

“I would say the girls definitely show more appreciation for us being there, probably because they’ve never had anyone there before,” Cronin said. In turn, I think the guys kind of expect us to be there, so the gratitudes not as great.”  

Although this is only the first year the girls team has had cheerleaders, many involved are looking forward to the new support the cheerleaders will bring the team next year.

“I think it’s sad because there should be no reason that the boys get more things than the girls do,” Murphy said. “I’m excited because even though it started late, it’s starting now and we’re gonna keep cheering for them.”