Usually, students at the De Soto High School Homecoming pep assembly get to enjoy many performances, including two separate routines performed by both the dance team and the cheer team. This was the first year where the teams combined for one big routine.

“College teams do that, so we thought we would give it a try and see how it works for us,” said head cheerleading coach Megan O’Boyle. 

Since both teams wanted to increase school spirit this year, their coaches thought combining teams would be the perfect opportunity to do that. The coaches wanted to create as much unity as possible among the student body.

“The hardest part was figuring out the times we could meet and how often,” O’Boyle said.

Due to conflicting schedules, the cheer and dance teams only practiced together three times. Most of the preparation was done separately. 

“Working with the dancers, in general, was easy. They’re just really easy-going people,” O’Boyle said.
O’boyle described how not only did the members of each group mesh well, the dance styles did too. The pom style dancing of the dance team complimented the sharper movements of the cheer team. 

“Something new for the dance team was using mats,” said senior diamond dance team member Ashlen Boresow. 

Another issue was the logistics of the choreography. The coaches had to figure out where to put turns during the pyramid or when to do leaps versus toe touches. 

Even with these problems, the coaches were able to create a performance that showed off the skills of both teams.

“I think it was a really positive thing and I hope that we continue to do this in the future,” Boresow said.