As the year begins, seniors Mary Mae Forsyth and Avi Zeifman have to start their goodbyes, one of the hardest being to Cheer. From football games to hours on end of practice, cheer contributes a lot to the duo’s high school experience, especially to their final year of high school. 

Zeifman has been on the team since freshman year and says her life won’t be the same without it. 

“The team has been my life,” Zeifman said. “I think for a lot of girls it is another extracurricular, but I am cheer-obsessed. I’ve been cheering since I was 9, and it’s always been the thing I love the most.”

Cheer not only provides an outlet for Zeifman and Forsyth, but it also offers them a family. The girls on the team spend a big portion of their high school experience together, allowing them to make memories over the years. 

“Cheer has given me an incentive to be a better community member, student, and friend to those around me,” Zeifman said. “It’s the best group of people you could find, it’s literally a sisterhood. It has added a lot of happiness in my life.”

For the past three years, Zeifman has been the only person from the Class of 2025 on the team but, this year there was a new addition. 

“This year my friend Mary Mae joined, and has just made Cheer that much more enjoyable,” Zeifman said. “Getting to experience my very last Taco Shack with her was amazing.”

Forsyth had been in Blue Brigade for two years, serving one year as a social officer, and then decided to try out for the cheer team her junior year. Once she made the team, she decided to make the switch from Blue Brigade to cheerleading.

“I’m most looking forward to enjoying my senior year with all the amazing girls on the team and making memories to bring to college,” Forsyth said. 

Throughout the year, the cheer team plays a large role in pep rallies and the football games, working to create more spirit for the school. 

“I love how involved we are at the games, and how engaged we are with both the crowd and watching the players,” Forsyth said.

Being on cheer has brought new challenges for Forsyth. This team is a new experience for her, and she has had to adjust to the way it operates. 

“Being on the team has definitely affected my drive and discipline,” Forsyth said. “Stunting requires lots of persistence and determination that I’ve never been challenged with, as well as my teamwork ability because of how collaborative Cheer is.”

Forsyth isn’t the only newcomer to the team: sophomore Marlowe Walsh just joined the team this year and said that the seniors have helped her feel more welcome.

“They bring great energy to the team,” Walsh said. “They give us tips that are really helpful to make our team stronger.”

Zeifman and Forsyth help the team in a multitude of ways, trying to help everyone be the best they can be.

“They help give me advice on my stunting, so our stunts are stronger,” Walsh said. “They also help calm everyone down before pep rallies and games.”

Sydney Schriever, the new solo head coach for cheer, says that the seniors have made her transition to coaching the team smoother. 

“They have both brought different things to the table,” Schriever said. “Avi has been on the team for all four years, so she has a wealth of knowledge of the history of the team. She also knows a lot about Cheer, so she is someone that I have been able to ask questions to, she has been a good resource.

Forsyth and Schriever, both being new, have had to learn how to be a part of the team together. 

“Mary Mae came from Blue Brigade this year, she has dance experience, and we incorporate dance into our cheer stuff sometimes,” Schriever said. “She has been very knowledgeable on that, and she has brought a new perspective, like how Cheer is different from Blue Brigade.”

The team has lots to look forward to after football season ends, one of the big events coming up for the team is their first time competing in a UIL competition. 

“Cheer is going to the UIL State Championships in January,” Schriever said. “This is the team’s first time at a UIL competition, allowing us to compete against other teams on the state level. We are very excited.”

The cheerleaders are looking forward to this new experience, something the team has anticipated for a long time.  

“It’s been quite a few years in the making,” Zeifman said. “I think we all know that because it’s our first year, there isn’t a huge chance of us winning, but it’s an amazing legacy to leave behind for the years to come.”

With much of the year to come and lots of memories to be made, the cheer seniors are ready to soak up all of their last moments at McCallum and make the best of the year.