By Elizabeth Graeme

My name is Elizabeth and I started cheerleading in August. I joined the B squad for girls in third and fourth grade. This last game we cheered our boys and girls on the field to a zero-zero tie against our rivals the Port Angeles Rough Riders. It might not have seemed the best game for us or the Rough Riders, but the defense was awesome! I will miss cheer when it is over, my Mom will be sad it is over, but I won’t be!

Cheerleading is hard work! We have to practice three times a week after school, some of the girls come from pretty far away. We practice in the Forks Elementary shed and our coach teaches us cheers that we have to remember. We have to learn how to work as a team together and also take care of our equipment and uniforms. Finally we have to show up for every game in advance and be ready to cheer our Spartan team to victory!

On game day we have to be ready for every kind of weather. Some days it has been very hot and sunny, other days very wet and cold. No matter the weather we have to wear a smile and get the fans excited for the action on the field! The most important thing is to believe in our team, even when the scoreboard has us down a little bit. A true cheerleader believes her team will win. It’s my job to get the crowd to let our players hear us yell so they know we are with them.

The thing I like most about being a cheerleader is getting to watch the Spartans play football right from the sidelines. It makes me happy to help the team. I also like the way it brings our community together. Cheerleading is not easy but it is worth it to me, there is nothing more rewarding than being a Spartan.

Elizabeth Graeme is in 3rd Grade at Forks Elementary. A native of Timor-Leste, she loves drawing, squishy toys, bicycling around Forks, and swimming.