Alta High School - Accipitor Yearbook (Sandy, UT)

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Spiritleaders Display Gymnastics Abilities ‘-Forever more they'll hear our cry: The Hawks, of Alta High! Sounds nice, doesn't it? These are the final words of our school fight song. If we have a singing ability, we might like sing- ing the song at sports events. Have you ever stopped to think what the song would sound like if everybody sang it without anybody to lead? It would sound like a general confusion, and students would be come frustrated while trying to cheer. For- tunately. we didn't have mass confusion during the year. There were several fine pep organizations to be proud of. They helped lead the school song, and they each had their own unique qualities. Probably in the spotlight more than any other group are the cheerleaders, and six songleaders. These girls, along with their advisor, Mary Johnson, were seen at pep assemblies, and at some sports events like football games, basketball games, and wrestling matches. They also participated in cheering competitions, earning our school an excellent reputation in cheer leading. Of course, the spirit leaders were not alone. There were the junior varsity cheer leaders, accompanied by their advisor, Mary Anderson. This group of six girls led cheers at junior varsity sports activities. They also did an excellent job of filling in for the cheerleaders and songleaders when there were two sports events in one night. Leading cheers at sophomore team games were the vivacious sopomore cheer leaders. They were taught by their advisor, Gina Boberg, and they showed an excep- tional talent for cheerleading. I’m a Pep per could be seen on the backs of these enthusiastic girls on days of sports events, thats right the Pep Club. You could always count on the Peppers, through rain, snow, or shine, to show up and cheer. Led by their advisor, Miss Cheryl Hughes, the pep pers displayed an impressive array of per- formances. What is cheerleading? What are cheer- leaders? What's a Pep Club? Some People might answer these questions simply by saying, A bunch of girls at football games. But the spirit organizations at Alta were much more than than. People don't consider cheerleading a sport, but I do,” said Ms. Johnson. To me, it is the team sport of Gymnastics. Teamwork did play an important part in this years spirit organizations. Teamwork was especially required for the Pep Club, since they were by far the largest group of spirit leaders in the school. I thought it would be all fun and not so much work, commented two sophomore cheerleaders. Many girls were in for a sur prise when they first started cheerleading. In addition to teamwork, cheerleading meant time and practice for those in- volved. The varsity cheerleaders and song- leaders started practicing a week after they were chosen, and they were also required to spend their summer hours practicing. The Pep Club used an entire class period each day, and the J.V. cheerleaders and sophomore cheerleaders also had to put in much practice. This years spirit leaders sounded posi- tive about their clubs. I feel it is an honor and a privilege to be a Pepper, said Steh panie Babinchak. I’m very proud. Other comments came from Tristan Boshard, a junior varisty cheerleader. It's exciting supporting our great school. Why would anybody want to go into cheerleading? This question was perhaps asked quite often as students saw the cheerleaders or the peppers throughout Rough and tough. Alison Butterfield dons Alta foot ball uniform to crush opponent at a pep assembly in the fieldhouse. The cheerleaders and songleaders per formed regularly during pep assemblies We got spirit! Marla Walbeck and Heidi Warr do their thing at the night pep rally, a big part of home coming week, with spirit and enthusiasm all a part of it. 64 • Spirit Leaders

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Approaching the ball to manuever a pass. Yong Kim looks for a fellow team member on the Mt. Jordan backfield. Cheering the team. Shana Khan shiv ers against the typical chill of Utah Spring. Covering the ball. Scott Hardy controls the ball down the field for a goal. Warming up. Kim Packard. Zeba Khan. Leasa Hirschi, and Wendy Maynes are four of the ten girls that were selected to be specialized squads for the soccer team. Soccer • 63

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Supporting Alta's teams with cheers and half-time entertainment. Pep Club boosted spirit and added excitement to many games. Hanging on for dear life. Heidi Warr flips over Trisha Young's back during a skit about the wrestling team. The spoof was all in fun and was designed to bring back fond memories of past years. A routine climb to the top by Jodee Anderson puts strain on the human pillars below. Climaxing with a drop from the top into the ready arms of fellow cheer leaders, the pyramid is always a crowd pleaser and few other cheering squads can build a pyramid like our cheerleaders and songleaders. Following in the footsteps of the varsity cheer leaders, the sophomore squad that included Heidi Worthen. Jinger Stromberg. Jan Collins. Julie Barron, and Jan Terry support their flashy pyramid Relieving the tension before a cheer or stunt by talking and laughing casually, together, the Junior Varsity Cheerleaders grew together throughout the season and supported one another often. Spirit Leaders • 65