From the huddle to the pyramid: NHHS seniors break barriers in cheer and football
NEW HOPE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s football season, and in talking about the players, you can’t forget the cheerleaders.
Cheer is now an Olympic sport, and it’s growing.
The country is seeing male cheerleaders in the National Football League, and even here at home.
The New Hope High School co-ed cheer team has seven males on the team, and a couple of them compete both on the mat and the field.
Micah and Tariq Butler are multi-sport athletes.
On Friday nights, the twins hit the gridiron to play football, but they are also part of the team on the sidelines.
“Ms. Robertson was my English teacher, and she came to me and asked. She thought it would be cool to have males on the team. She saw the other teams had some, and she was like, ‘Oh, that’d be fun. I was like, ‘Yeah, that would be fun.’ But I wasn’t really thinking she was talking about me specifically. And my brother went to a practice, and I came to one after that. And we’ve been here ever since,” Micah said.
The twins say some misconceptions come with the sport.
“I feel like there’s a lot of stigma about it, but it’s a really respectable sport,” Tariq said.
3 years ago, the brothers began this journey and feel like they are helping pave the way for others who may want to cheer at their school and surrounding schools.
“We didn’t have males on the cheerleading team for a long time. I feel like after we joined, it brought a lot of things together,” Tariq said. “You see it come to light, you know, going to nationals and all that. I feel like, you know, it’s kind of in God’s plan.”
“A few guys I’ve talked to on the football team would love to do something like this,” Micah said. “I think somebody just stepping up and being like, ‘Oh, I’d like to try.’ That paves the way for people to be like, ‘Oh, I think that’d be cool too.'”
Coach Rachel Robertson says the males on the team bring a lot to the table, like physical strength, coachability, and leadership, making a powerful impact.
“They lead our team with devotions, and I think that they’re looked up to as role models in life,” Robertson said. “I know that they are (role models) on the football team. I think they are in the school. But even on our team, on our squad, people go to them for advice and ask for help.”
“Everybody clicks so well. We feel like one big family,” said senior cheerleader Emma Massey.
Overall, they all say the fellowship between the teams is unlike any other, but not just with the cheerleaders, the whole Trojan family. For the first time ever, cheer, dance, and band will combine on the national stage.
“When we do something great, we want to do it together and would really love to see that bleed over into other schools and our cities.”
New Hope has a donation campaign, Armor Up for the Trojans, to raise money to go the 630 miles to Orlando in January.
To donate, you can click here.
