Longmont High School’s cheer team is looking to take their competition to the next level. In order to do that, they must first raise the money for a new set of mats. However, a bigger obstacle stands in the way, many of its participants are struggling to afford to stay on the team as a result of the pandemic.
Lillian Harrison is entering her junior year of high school in the fall. This will be her third year on the Longmont High School cheer team. She hopes to become cheer captain this year.
Lillian has a rare opportunity to cheer next to someone she loves dearly, her sister Maggie. Maggies will be a sophomore this fall.
Both girls love the sport and their mother, Liz, could not be happier sitting in the stands cheering for both of her daughters as they cheer on the Trojan teams.
However, for Liz having two daughters on the cheer team is sometimes more than she can handle.
Liz is a single mother of three with a very limited budget. She and her daughters count every penny which often means deciding between driving the car to school and other needs the family has. In addition to everyday expenses, Lillian suffers from Type 1 diabetes, which requires the family to pay out of pocket for many of her supplies, according to Liz.
Because of Lillian’s illness, she missed 76 days of elementary school. Since she has struggled to find a place she belongs among her peers, Liz said. “Cheer means the world to her in the fact that she is a part of a group,” Liz said.
Cheer also has helped Maggie “come out of her shell” and display her leadership skills, Liz said.
“Being part of the team, being part of something special makes it so much more, it makes high school that much better,” Liz said.
According to Longmont High cheer coach, Threasa Williams, cheer is an expensive sport. Although she tries to keep expenses down, the total the students have to pay can reach to be as much as $1,000 a year. This fee includes uniforms, competition fees, props and practice time at Steele Athletics in Loveland, in order to have access to a full set of mats to prepare for the state competition.
This year the team is made up of 21 students, many of whom are facing financial hardship after the pandemic, William said. At least eight students have said if they are unable to raise the funds to cover part of the cheer expense, they will have to drop out of cheer, Williams said.
“Each person has to pay their own amount, in full and it is sad because if they can’t cover it they can’t be on the team because there is no money for us to help donate to assist them,” Williams said. “We make it as cheap as we can every year but costs keep going up. We have a lot of girls who want to do it (cheer).”
“Fundraising is the only way for both of my girls to be in it because I can not afford the costs even though Longmont cheer is the cheapest around,” Liz said.
If the fundraising efforts do not work out, Lillian said she would likely quit the team because she would not want to create added stress for her mother. Her reaction is mirrored by another student, whose parents requested not be named.
This student’s father is the only parent who works since her mother had a baby at the beginning of the pandemic. The family has struggled throughout COVID just to make ends meet. However, her mother insists she stays on the team, hoping it will bring her daughter closer to a college scholarship, but more importantly that it will continue to bring her daughter joy.
This student said it is more important to her that her family not struggle for her own dreams. She hopes to be able to find a job to help cover the costs of cheer but would give up the sport if it was not enough.
The pandemic not only hurt the families of these cheerleaders, but it also made Williams more aware of the limited resources available to the team.
After cheering for other sports teams throughout the year, the cheer team competes against other area teams for state and national titles. The Longmont High team has had to travel to Steele Athletics to use a complete set of cheer mats to practice for their competition because Longmont High cheer only owns five of the nine mats required to make a regulation floor.
With times more limited than usual due to COVID health regulations, the Longmont cheer team struggled to find enough time on the mats to solidify their routine, allowing for some miscommunication during this year’s competition, Williams said.
According to SVVSD’s Executive Director of Arts, Athletics and Activities, Chase McBride, large purchases, like cheer mats, are put on a rotating cycle in the district. When a school or team needs a large purchase before the district has plans to make it, the team is encouraged to fundraise for it. He said all teams in SVVSD fundraise for a variety of reasons each year.
Having a full set of mats would allow the team to practice state competition routines in Longmont, eliminating the expense and time it takes to travel to Steele Athletics in Loveland, Williams said. Girls spend $280 a year for three months’ worth of time on the mats.
Knowing that nothing comes for free, Liz took on the role of fundraising coordinator for the cheer team. Without fundraising, Liz is afraid she would have to ask her girls to choose which could stay on the team and who would leave, a decision, Liz said, is likely to result in neither being on the team “because that is how close we are as a family.”
Other Longmont High parents have the same fear and are pledging their time and energy to make these fundraisers work.
The team has plans to host several fundraisers this year to help offset the costs for as many members as they can. Currently, there is a gofundme page established to allow community members to donate to the team.
In July, the team will host a scavenger hunt in Downtown Longmont. It is $15 to enter. Area businesses and the city of Longmont have donated prizes for the winners.
On June 16, members of the community can support the team by eating at Texas Roadhouse and mentioning the team. Also, the Washed Up Car Wash will donate half the proceeds to the team on June 30, when customers mention Longmont High cheer
