This year , the Sheridan High School cheer team has a new head coach, new captain, and new uniforms. Cheer captain senior Kelsey Walton said, “I think that because we’re changing everything about our image, (new uniforms, poms, coach, captain) it is helping us become stronger as a team.”

New head coach, Stephanie Vela, hopes that “the community will start to take notice and start to cheer along with us.” She wants all the bad reputations of cheerleaders at SHS to be gone.

Previous head coach Alison Vold is still coaching the cheer team but because of her pursuit to further her education, she felt someone else as a head coach would be best for the team.

Vela cheered all four years she went to Sheridan High School and before coaching high school, she coached cheer for the Sheridan Recreation District.

Vela, talks about the new uniforms, “the old uniforms were five years old. They were definitely dated so when we would go to cheer competition we would have stood out. Also, the cheer uniforms didn’t match with the football uniforms and I want the cheer team to be more involved with the football team, so getting the colors to match is a good start.”

Sophomore Rachel Ankrum said she is, “so excited we will be able to wear our uniforms to school.”

The cheer uniforms are being paid for by fundraising done by the cheerleaders because of limited budgeting and high prices of the uniforms. To raise money, the cheer team sold raffle tickets and Alison’s Pantry fundraising. They also have been promoting themselves as a new, passionate team at Third Thursday. They plan on having a table at the September Third Thursday and Vela said, “Donations are always welcome because we still have to pay for the uniforms and travel to Gillette.” They are also planning for the Pink Link in October.

The cheer team will attend all home events for Fall sports and support each team, not just the football team. Vela said, “We may not be showing off our new uniforms, because those moments won’t be for us. The team will be celebrating other students’ achievements, and we want them to know that the student body does support every sport.”

“Old girls are either adapting to the change, or new girls are being thrown into everything all at once. Because we are experiencing all of this together as a team, it makes us a family as well,” said Walton.