Genevieve Delince knows what being on a team is all about: camaraderie, care and support — and in high school cheerleading — literally trusting someone to watch your back.

Delince, 16, a cheerleader on the Panther Creek varsity squad, has quite a bit of experience with all of those things. She has been cheering for about nine years. “I just love hanging out with girls who have that spirit,” she said.

School spirit and a winning attitude have traditionally been assets that have helped win teenage girls a spot on high school cheerleading teams.

But coaches say the sport has grown by leaps and spirals from what it was even a decade ago. The stunts are harder, the tumbling skills and athleticism required have raised the bar for teams throughout the area.

Those who have watched the sport evolve from the inside see even more differences from the time they were “flyers” and “bases” on teams not so long ago. “Definitely as far as a sport, it’s more competitive and more athletic,” said Kelley Simpson, who co-coaches the varsity team at Cary High.

Simpson also cheered at Cary, graduating in 1989.

Karen Bocchino, a teacher and coach who built Panther Creek’s relatively new cheerleading program, said she sees “drastic” changes from the time she graduated in 2002.

Both coaches think the rise in popularity of the highly competitive cheer gyms have had an effect on the sport, especially in the South.

They say many of the girls who try out for high school teams have had private cheer experience, which has helped developed their skills but has also emphasized competition and scoring.

While high school teams do have competitions during the year, “cheerleading is first and foremost about cheering on your team,” said Cary High co-coach Stephanie Ryde.

“If you think about it, that’s what we’re here for,” Delince said.

That school spirit seems to be what brings girls — and occasionally guys — out for tryouts.

“I’ve been cheering since I was 5,” said Kyla Schenck, 14, a ninth-grader who came to Cary High tryouts on a steamy summer day a few weeks ago. “I just love it. I love everything about it. It just makes me happy.”

Kourtney Curtis, 15, moved from Durham mid year and was back for Cary High tryouts as well.

“It’s good exercise plus I love screaming all the time; that’s easy for me,” she said.

Pint-size Cary High senior Sara Sexton, 17, has become a veteran on the varsity squad and no longer gets nervous at tryouts. She said high school cheerleading is a nice break from the stress of competitive cheer. “If you’re on a competitive team you have no other life,” she said.

High school cheerleading is still a big commitment, though. The teams go two seasons — fall and winter — practicing every weekday plus attending games and occasional parades and competitions. They have to meet both academic and attendance requirements to remain on the team.

Bocchino said she has faced special challenges starting a team at a new school. She had to make up new cheers and develop a program guide. She has noticed that as the program gains momentum, a greater talent pool is showing up for tryouts.

This year she had 65 girls try out for about 30 spots total on JV and varsity.

“It’s hard to cut girls who have been on the squad the past two years,” Bocchino said.

At a recent practice before their first football game, the Panther Creek varsity girls, wearing ponytails, Sophie-style shorts and white sneakers, practiced launches — the “flyer” is the girl who goes up in the air, supported by several “bases.”

Reminders of “smile please” and “get focused” came from Bocchino, knowing there were only a few days before the team’s home-game debut against Leesville Road. Celeste Patterson is one of the few freshman who made Panther Creek varsity.

“I was excited,” Patterson said. “I thought I had a chance at JV but when I made varsity I was really surprised.”

Whether freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors, the girls on both the Panther Creek and Cary High teams say they’re close-knit, like sisters.

“My two best friends are on the cheerleading team,” said Panther Creek senior Kelsey Gray. “Being with them here is like hanging out with them.”

Most of the cheerleaders interviewed said they have friends outside of cheerleading, too. They don’t think of themselves as a “clique” in that negative, stereotypical “popular cheerleader” way that’s often portrayed in movies.

In fact, Sexton pointed out that if she seems popular or has a lot of friends, it’s not because of cheerleading, but rather, that the outgoing personality that won over the cheerleading judges carries over in the halls at Cary High.

“People know you because everyone comes to the games; that makes it easier to make friends,” Sexton said.

Cheerleading Clinic
The cheerleaders are hosting their Second Annual Cheerleading Clinic on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. Lunch and T-shirts provided.

The girls will learn cheers, chants, dance, stunts and tumbling and be able to perform with the Middle Creek varsity cheerleaders at the home football game on Sept. 19. Cost: $45. Ages: Kindergarten through eighth grade. To get the right size T-shirt, please register by Sept. 1.

You can pre-register by e-mailing sehinger@wcpss.net or derekreavis@aol.com.

The Middle Creek cheerleaders are two-time national champions, four-time Wake County champions and two-time Tri-8 champions.

For information, contact coaches Sonya Ehinger at sehinger@wcpss.net or Karen Reavis at derekreavis@aol.com.