Senior Shea Walsh’s desire to join the cheer team first started at his junior year Homecoming game, the first football game he had ever attended.

Walsh noticed the team wasn’t getting enough attention. As the game went on, an idea struck him.

“That stuff that they are doing, I can do it too,” Walsh said. “This time next year, I am going to be down there.”

Some people thought he was kidding, and others thought that if he were to try out, he would be doing it as a joke. In spite of all these comments, he said he was determined to become the best cheerleader that he could be.

“It wasn’t a dare or anything; it was something different. I could have probably joined the football team and done ok, but it wouldn’t have meant anything. Being on the cheer team was something new and I could go so much further than with any other sport,” Walsh said. 

Since cheerleading is a female-dominated sport, Walsh expected a lot of different opinions on him joining the team from fellow students, coaches and teammates.

“I think that at first, there was a lot of uncertainty,” Walsh said. “They didn’t know what my motives were. They didn’t know if I was doing it as a joke or if I was actually going to take it seriously.” 

To his surprise, the team got comfortable faster than he had anticipated. Not only did this help Walsh feel more welcome on the team, but it built confidence in his ability to develop cheerleading skills. 

At first, Walsh felt like being the only guy would be hard for the team to adjust to, but his coaches thought the opposite.

“Since we hadn’t had a male cheerleader before, we were super excited that he came to the tryouts. It was a great opportunity for us to work with a male athlete,” Varsity Coach Mrs. Debbie Vargas said. 

As for his teammates, they were equally as excited to see a male athlete walk into tryouts. 

“I remembered thinking ‘Oh my god, this is so cool. I really hope he is on our team,’” sophomore cheerleader Amelia Kavanagh said. 

Since he first started, Walsh’s coaches and teammates have been a support system in adjusting to the new environment. 

“My coach at the time just threw me in and expected me to be part of the team. I really appreciated that because it was a great way to build skills,” Walsh said. 

As the season went on, Walsh finally felt that his teammates had seen him as “an asset” and that they “appreciated” having him on the team. His coach shared the same feelings, saying “he leads by example.”

“Shea is super responsible. He is always there for everybody on his team,” Vargas said. ”He’s very supportive and is always the first to help out and give positive praise.”

Walsh not only encourages and pushes his teammates to become better athletes, but he has become an essential part of boosting the team’s overall dynamic. He has been a team player on and off the field, which has resulted in strong relationships with his teammates. 

“Shea is the most positive person on the team. I don’t think he has ever come in and never not had a positive attitude,” Kavanagh said.

Although the fall season is coming to an end, Walsh has met his goal of bringing more attention to the cheer team. With a male on the team, they could now do new stunts and dances at competitions and school events that they weren’t able to do before. 

“Shea has been very good for the team this year because everybody loves him at the football games. He has definitely brought some eyes to the cheerleaders,” Kavanagh said. 

Walsh has also surprised himself with how much he enjoys cheerleading and encourages more boys to join the team. 

“I didn’t think I would end up being as serious about it as I am now,” Walsh said. “But here I am, on top of the world.”