As Homecoming approaches Manhattan High, there are several things on students’ mind namely the basketball game, spirit week and especially the pep rally. For MHS cheerleaders, this is the moment that defines their season.

Every year the cheerleaders put in hours of work to perfect their Homecoming routine. Evenings are filled with stunts, jumps and lots of dancing, all to put it out there for the entire student body. But this year is different.

“[This routine is] different than anything we’ve ever done before” senior Kayleigh Ballesteros said. “We’re switching up the order of things. There is going to be new stuff and I think people are going to like it.  We normally only do a hip-hop routine for football, but this year we have like an elite hip hop dance that you had to try out for.”

This “elite” group will be performing while other stunts and jump sequences will be going on behind them. With all of this going on, the stakes are high this year and the practices have reflected that.

“The coaches are making sure to keep us in check, and that we’re getting stuff done and staying focused,” Ballesteros said. “We only have three practices left, so we need to make sure that we get everything ready so that we can perform.”

With such an elaborate performance this year, the pressure from the coaches is one many team members takes to heart.

“There are a lot of people doing a lot of different things, and some people don’t like what they’re doing,” sophomore Jacob Wineland said. “I wasn’t a fan of my jumps, and then they told us that it’s all coming together and our attitude towards how we perform is going to affect how we will perform and so it needs to stay positive.”

Besides the change in dance style, the overall feeling of the routine has changed a bit, according to Wineland.

“A lot of it is less flashy dancing and more the sharp cheer motions that you get from cheerleaders,” Wineland said. “A lot more stunting, so it’s a lot stronger than most of the other performances, which are dance heavy.”

Despite these new and exciting changes, the cheerleaders expect to get the same amount of “awe” from the crowd as usual, if not more.

“I want people to know that we put a lot of work into this, and it’s going to be a lot of fun for us, so I hope it’s fun for everybody else,” Ballesteros said.