Cheering isn’t always glamorous, all-American says
Staff writer
Being a cheerleader, as Brooklyn Wuest knows well, is not always glamorous.
It takes hours of practice to learn songs and gymnastic routines that cheerleaders at Goessel High School perform during each football and basketball game.
Unlike their student-athlete counterparts, cheerleaders are primarily side attractions at their own performances, meant more to keep the crowd’s spirits up than to command attention.
“You have to really bring a lot of positive energy to involve the crowd,” Wuest said.
One imagines such positivity can be draining when the team isn’t performing well. Goessel’s football team certainly struggled this season, posting a 1-8 record with losses of 58-0, 58-8, 50-0, and 46-0 along the way.
How do you keep smiles going in such dire straits?
“You gotta fake it,” Wuest laughed.
Wuest is one of the premier cheerleaders in Marion County. She was selected as an All-American this summer after the Goessel cheer squad attended a camp in Coffeyville.
Of the roughly 200 people attending the cheer camp, 24 were selected, according to Wuest.
The judging process was based on a variety of events, including cheers, dances, a band chant, and a gymnastics jump.
“We were at the camp for four days, but I practiced constantly in our dorm room,” Wuest said.
Being named an All-American earned Wuest an invitation to perform at the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The parade is part of a six-day camp run by Varsity Spirit, a nationwide company that brands itself as “the global leader in cheerleading, dance team, and band apparel camps and competitions.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever get to go,” said Wuest. “It still doesn’t feel real.”
Wuest began cheerleading in freshman year of high school, though she has practised gymnastics her whole life.
She credits Raechel Boese, her stepsister and the cheer coach at Goessel, as the person who’s inspired her the most.
“We shared a room for like, seven years, so we grew up together,” Wuest said. “She was in cheer in high school, too, and she did gymnastics with me, so she’s probably been the main person.”
Boese said she was proud of Wuest for her success as a gymnast and cheerleader.
The Hawaii parade is not cheap for young cheerleaders to attend.
Varsity Spirit’s event costs honorees more than $2,000 — a $200 down payment as well as housing costs, the cheapest of which is a four-person room costing $1,874 per person.
This does not include travel costs nor most meals.
Wuest’s family has paid for the camp. She and her family now are fundraising to try to recuperate some of the money.
“We’ve just been struggling,” said Wuest. “It’s been slow.”
The camp mostly involves practicing for the parade. It includes events such as a luau and a day trip to the Battleship Missouri Memorial.
Wuest intends to continue cheerleading in the future.
“Maybe not professionally, but definitely in college,” she said.
She highlighted her gratitude for her high school teammates, and said she is excited to meet new people in Honolulu.
“Making friends with cheerleaders is real easy,” she said. “Everybody’s peppy, fun.”
Those looking to support Wuest on her voyage to Honolulu can visit her website at bit.ly/3Y56i5A.