Manleaders
May 23, 2014
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The tables were turned during the month of April as male Vikings came together for cheer practice, on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm preparing to support their fellow lady Vikings at their annual Powder Puff. The game took place on Thurs., May 1, at 6 p.m. at the Allen Layne stadium.
While the girls practiced their football drills and plays, the boys memorized cheers and practiced stunts coached by current varsity cheerleaders, juniors Danielle Adams, Lauren Rodriguez, Shayla DeGuzman, Molly Donahue, and Amanda Martinez. These cheerleaders were chosen by English teacher and former cheer adviser, Mrs. Hill, to coach the boys.
“Most cheerleaders aren’t really interested in being one of the coaches for the boys because it’s a lot of stress, but I think it’s really fun,” Danielle Adams said.
The coaches chose the easier cheers to teach the boys and adjusted them as they practiced, if the movement was too difficult. In total they learned 15 routines, Come On and Let’s Go being the most popular among the boys.
“They all have their own personalities and are better at something than everyone else, so they have really different strengths and they’re all really fun,” Shayla DeGuzman said.
One of the male cheerleaders, sophomore Ryan Gutierrez, used these Powder Puff practices as preparation to try out for the actual cheer team hoping to make varsity. Gutierrez developed an interest for the sport a year ago when he first began dating his cheerleader girlfriend, sophomore Mikayla Minning, who he shares is supportive and goes to the open gym with him every night to work on his tumbling.
“It’s an amazing thing,” Gutierrez said. “At first I didn’t even think cheer was a sport. I just thought it was girls being cute coming to games and everything, but I found out there are competitions, they practice a lot, and it’s just a lot of hard work.”
Not only did they enjoy being in the limelight for a game, but what initially began as participating for the fun of it, developed into a strong appreciation and respect for the cheerleaders and the sport itself.
Cabrera not only dedicates most of her time to writing for the online newspaper, she also enjoys dancing at a very popular dance studio: Santa Fe Springs Performing Arts Center. Her dancing skills helped her make the Downey High School Dance team for the 2013-2014 school year. With motivation to major in journalism and minor in dance, her dream is to travel around the world for six months after she graduates from a college somewhere in the east coast. She also plans to get a part time job as an interpreter, because she is fluent in sign language. Cabrera’s goal this year as a writer is to make The Downey Legend more popular and known to the students at Downey High.
Castro’s main goal for the future is to be the first in her family to go to college. The aspiring photographer feels that a college degree is a necessary component to be successful in today’s economy. When she is enrolled in school, Castro hopes to major in photojournalism and eventually have her images published in a popular magazine where thousands of people can appreciate her work. In her personal life, Castro describes herself as a simple girl with simple tastes. She appreciates the small things in life like listening to music or simply hanging out with friends at the local mall. She looks at each day from a relaxed and optimistic perspective. “The most important part of my life is being happy,” Castro said. “That's all that matters.”
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