Senior Reilly Rawlings has joined the cheer team as just the second male cheerleader on the Tyrone squad in the past 20 years, and maybe ever.
While rosters are far from complete for Tyrone’s early years, the only other male cheerleader in recorded memory was TAHS alumnus Paul Rhodes, who joined the team back in 2018.
Rawlings has been interested in joining the cheer team throughout high school.
“I always wanted to be a part of the cheer team, and I have a lot of friends that are also on it, so that was a huge factor,” Rawlings said.
This is his first year on the varsity team, and even though he joined later in the season, he has contributed a lot already.
“Reilly is doing amazing. I spent three hours after practice teaching him dances, and he caught on quickly,” fellow teammate and senior Lydia Meredith said.
“I think I’m doing pretty well. I have already learned all the dances and made a few mistakes while redoing them,” Rawlings said.
The Tyrone Varsity head coaches are extremely fond of Reilly and appreciate his positive presence on the team.
“Reilly is doing amazing on the cheerleading team. He is picking up on the material quickly and is willing to put in the extra effort to learn it. His spirit is spectacular, and I am very happy that he decided to join the team in his senior year,” Assistant Tyrone cheerleading coach Mercedes Miller said.
While Rawlings is showing school spirit on the field, he has also shown it throughout his other activities, which include band, Eagle Eye, and his passion for singing and acting.
However, cheer gives him a different source of happiness.
“Reilly is doing an outstanding job. His enthusiasm and dedication shine both on and off the mat,” Head Tyrone Cheerleading Coach Hannah Kessling said.
“I love getting together with my friends and attending the football games on a sideline view,” Rawlings said.
“I think he is doing really well for coming in later to the season. He has made a lot of progress and has been working his butt off to get to where he is now,” teammate Braylinne Shaw said.
So far, Rawlings has perfected his basket stunt and the one-man stunt. A basket is where Rawlings throws another cheerleader on the team in the air and catches them successfully. A one-man is when a cheerleader stands on another’s shoulders.
“He approaches new stunts without hesitation, puts in extra time outside of practice to master band dances and cheers,” Kessling said.
While cheer comes easily to some, there are also difficulties, especially when you are new to the sport, while others have been there for years.
“Trying to learn everything super quickly is difficult. The dances aren’t particularly hard, but the amount of cheers and short time can be stressful to handle,” Rawlings said.
