Pulido breaks the stereotype

Pulido+breaks+the+stereotype

Every Friday night, the GHS cheerleading squad shines under the lights of the football field. Large in number, the squad’s sound thunders across the bleachers as they bounce around and cheer all night. But one member in particular stands out from the bunch.

Isaac Pulido, a junior, is the first male cheerleader at GHS on record in over thirty years. This year, in late June, Isaac decided to break the stereotypes and become a cheerleader, explaining that his reason for joining was to be with his friends on the team.

Isaac has quickly become one of the leaders on the squad. His main role is leading the cheers, where he first yells out the name of the cheer and then counts off for the other cheerleaders to follow. One of the captains and three year veteran of the squad, Tori Skinner, agrees that this role is well-suited for Isaac. “Isaac is like our base. Just like a band or a choir has tenors or those bass voices, we have Isaac. He really helps carry our sound,” Tori said.

Not only has Isaac contributed his voice to the squad, but also his strength. With the strength of the male on the team, the squad has been able to expand the number of stunts they are able to do and even heighten the difficulty of the stunts performed. Tori said, “More difficult stunts require more strength, which Isaac has, so we’ve been able to step up our stunting this year.”

Isaac says they now do a variety of stunts, from shoulder stands to shoulder sits to basket tosses, escalators, and more.

The team has definitely felt the rewards of Isaac on the team, and Isaac has also found the experience worthwhile. Isaac said, “Practices are a lot of fun. I love the people on the team and I love performing the stunts, too.”

The number of cheerleaders on the GHS squad has nearly tripled since last year, going from only six members to a massive 16. When asked to describe this team in one word, Isaac said, “We are flawless.” The team has impressive numbers. and the new element Isaac has brought to the table will make Isaac and the team shine even brighter under the lights this year.