The Camas High School (CHS) cheerleaders are seen as the face of Camas pride and school spirit but many people don’t know the true motivation and force behind the Camas cheer program.

Although mastering cheer skills are important, the CHS cheer coaches aim to teach valuable life lessons that the cheerleaders will use to better themselves. 

Junior varsity cheer coach Tamara Asciutto said, “Cheer is just a vehicle I use to teach the girls confidence, dedication, hard work, and self-respect.”

The importance of the life lessons learned in cheer is an essential part of the sport that nearly overpowers the importance of the cheer skills themselves.

From the outside, cheer may seem like a high expectation, anxiety-inducer, but the physical activity offers an immense amount of stress relief for many of the girls on the team and a distraction from the issues outside of cheer. 

Varsity cheerleader Izzy Sabatini said, “I could be having the worst day ever at school but right as I get to practice all that stress goes away because my focus is somewhere else.” 

“My favorite part is the relationships I get to build with the girls,” Asciutto said.

The cheer program offers an opportunity to meet new people and gives a space that forces the girls to spend an immense amount of time, later evolving into strong relationships that last beyond the season. Varsity cheer coach Brandy Reed and JV coach Tamara Asciutto make it a priority to act as positive role models and become a person that the cheerleaders can rely on.

Varsity cheerleader Mariana Villaluz said, “I’ve learned the importance of family and having real connections with people.”

Sabatini said, “Being part of the cheer team has definitely helped me to stay on track with my grades and has really just forced me to be more motivated to become an overall better student.” 

The structure and experiences gained from the cheer program better the lives of the cheerleaders. The girls are required to keep a grade point average above a 2.0 in order to continue throughout the season, which teaches the girls important time management skills that will set them up for success. These educational improvements, such as their consistently good grades, also benefit them when applying to colleges.

The Camas cheer program provides an environment that allows the cheerleaders to grow and improve in all aspects of their lives. Many people have benefited from the lessons and experiences gained from just simply being on the cheer team.

Sabatini said, “I’ve really built a family with the cheerleaders I’ve met over the years and they have become some of my closest friends.”