Cheer captains share anticipation for Turkey Day

Ava Musgraves
Print Editor

Senior cheerleaders Victoria Proffer, Jasmine Salmon and Emily Goben show excitement for Senior Night on Friday, Oct. 22, at Moss Field. Photo by Ava Musgraves

“Excitement. Anticipation. Celebration. Inspiring.”

All words Varsity cheer captains use to describe the “most important responsibility” they hold. Turkey Day.

“The words running through my mind are nostalgia. I mean, I feel like it’s my senior year after missing a whole year, and this is the last time I’ll do it after working so hard,” senior cheer captain Emily Goben said.

“I’ve been thinking about music for the routines since July,” Goben said. It’s kinda a year round thing.”

Turkey Day, an event that calls for a week of celebration at the high school, including even a theme song that fills the hallways. For the senior class, this Turkey Day is another event coming to a close in their high school careers.

Turkey Day isn’t just a football game; it’s a tradition that has lasted decades. The first Turkey Day game took place in 1907.

“I know it’s my last Turkey Day, but it hasn’t hit me yet.” said Goben.

Senior cheer captain Macie Savala has had a connection with cheer and Turkey Day since elementary school

“I have put together a lot of choreography for the routine, and I make sure that everyone is giving their all to the routine. This is a big thing for us, our biggest performance for the year,” Savala said.

Her motivation to join cheer came from seeing the cheerleaders perform at the community pep assembly that preludes the game day.

“I want to do that. I want to make that dance, and put that on the floor. Finally getting that as my reality is amazing,” Savala said.

The cheer team started rehearsing for Turkey Day in September, adding weekend practices to create the routines on top of the regular football schedule and after school practices.

“Being able to perform after practicing for two months really feels so satisfying after knowing how much work really went into it,” senior cheer captain Gigi Tetley said.

“I really hope the routine goes well, and everyone is just as excited for Turkey Day as we are since we didn’t get to do this all last year,” Tetley said.