Legacy

During a game against Hayfield last year, junior Helena Johnson dribbles across the court. This season, the Jefferson cheer team will be performing courtside at all varsity basketball games. “I didn’t know too much about basketball, but after two games, I caught on,” sophomore cheerleader Caitlyn Wood said. “I think [sideline cheer] is good to have the crowd engaged and keep encouraging the team to do their best.”

For the 2023-2024 school year, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) reintroduced sideline cheer to all varsity basketball games after discontinuing it in 2015 due to budget cuts. In the fall, Jefferson’s cheer team cheered for the  varsity football team and competed in cheer tournaments. This winter, they will also cheer for Jefferson’s girls and boys varsity basketball teams due to the new change.

While both football and basketball sideline cheer entail encouraging Jefferson’s teams, they also share several differences.

“In basketball, we’re still encouraging the team to do their best and we’re also entertaining the crowd,” sophomore cheerleader Caitlyn Wood said. “It’s also different because in football we’re farther away, but in basketball you can see everything.”

Players on Jefferson’s girls basketball team share the same sentiment. With the cheerleaders being closer to the players, it’s easier to hear them as well.

“On a football field, it’s much larger and it’s harder to hear the cheers. On a basketball court, it’s much louder and very audible,” sophomore basketball player Manya Yellepeddy said.

However, since the sizes of the fields are different, so is the speed of play. In basketball, the court is shorter, making it easier for the team to quickly switch from offense to defense and vice versa. This makes the game more interesting, but the cheers more difficult.

“I like how fast it is. We do a lot more cheers and the cheers are more fun,” Wood said. “But in the middle of a cheer, we could be cheering for defense [and] then they quickly change to [offense].” 

The reintroduction of basketball sideline cheer has benefited both sides. For Jefferson’s cheer team, their winter season is less busy than the fall. Cheering in a smaller space requires fewer people, meaning the cheer team splits into two groups and alternates for all home games.

“It’s a lot less stressful than fall cheer because there are no competitions and practice is only once a week,” sophomore cheerleader Eden Tesfa said.

For Jefferson’s varsity basketball teams, cheer brings energy and enthusiasm to the court by engaging both the players and the visitors in the stands.

“It definitely makes a big difference. Last year there wasn’t a lot of crowd. The cheer team brings a lot of energy so it’s nice to have them there,” Yellepeddy said. “After a couple [of] games with them, big games like senior night will be so cool cause they’ll be there hyping up the crowd.”