Cats out of Class: Irelyn Eanes

1. What is your role as a spirit leader?

I would say that we don’t really have a set role, but I think that our responsibilities as spirit leaders is to kind of engage the crowd and make them get really hype, so we can kind of encourage our football team and make them feel motivated throughout the game.

2. What kind of preparation goes into getting ready for a big game or event?

I would say either like kind of figuring out what we want to wear because we’re supposed to be super hyped so even last game for our homecoming game me and my friends we decided that we were gonna wear blue wigs so the day of we just bought blue wigs and like we wore them to the game we were super pumped up and fun and then we also did face paint as well.

3. What’s the most challenging part of leading a huge crowd?

Honestly, the fact that it’s a huge crowd is automatically a challenge in itself, but it’s just the fact that we have to get out of our comfort zones and yell, shout, and get a good number of people to get started on something. I feel like it’s not about leading a big crowd. It’s about leading one person, and then that one person can kind of channel that entire energy into the crowd. 

4. How do you balance your spirit leader duties with your schoolwork and other extracurriculars?

Spirit leader duties are a privilege. I think that it’s super fun that I get to be a part of this. I love going to football games, and I love just the spirit of the games. So it’s not really something that I need to balance. It’s definitely something that I need to cut time off for, but I always think about every week that there might be a football game on Thursday or Friday. So I just have to keep my mind open for that.

5. What’s the most memorable moment you’ve had while leading the student section?

I think that the most memorable moment I’ve had is when the drum line comes over to our area and starts playing. It’s literally the most fun ever. It’s lovely just to hear them play, and they’re so good at what they do. It’s just like a really good way to get the crowd hype and I just love how like fun they get whenever we pull out our phones and we’re say “hey guys, get hype, get happy, get excited,” and they get so pumped and it’s just makes me so happy to see that this is our school, and this is what we’re meant to do and I just love that.

6. What inspires you to maintain energy and enthusiasm during a game?

I would say my friends really help in that aspect because I think that I’ve really gotten out of my shell over my high school years, but I wasn’t always super expressive. But since I’ve made these friends and spirit leaders like Ava and Ayla, they’ve really helped me get out of my comfort zone and kind of just be super excited. I also feel other people’s energy, so if there are so many people who are hyped up, then of course I’m going to exhibit that same exact energy. 

7. How do you help get students involved in school spirit?

I just push my energy onto them and hope that they agree with it. Sometimes when I see my friends at the pep rallies and in the crowds, I see them like, Hey, stand up, stand up, stand up. Get hype, come on, come on. Or like whenever we’re in class, they said, I’m gonna be on the floor, so better get hype for me. I don’t know, I just think it’s really fun. And I also think that it’s like, you’re only in high school once, just have fun while you’re at it. Like you’re never too cool to do anything.

8. In your opinion, how much does the spirit section’s energy actually affect the team’s performance?

I honestly think that the way the student section is has a really big impact on how a team performs. Of course, it’s like the team’s own strengths and their own practices, but even if a player feels really tired and unmotivated, just knowing that people are cheering you on in the crowd is something to motivate you. Also, notice that at the end of every single game, the spirit leaders, the band, the drill team, the cheerleaders, they all run into this area on the field, and they’ll get super excited and get super hype and have fun. And I love that because it just shows that we’re all together, we’re all one, and we’re all a family.

9. What is the number one quality a good spirit leader needs to have?

I feel like the number one quality a spirit leader needs to have is the ability to not care because I feel like you’re always gonna be judged, no matter what you do, so you might as well just have fun doing it. That’s definitely something I have to learn, but at this point, I don’t really care anymore because I’m having a good time. I’m supporting my school, and I’m building myself up and learning new skills. I feel like that’s just way more important than being embarrassed or just like being too cool to have fun.

10. What’s one thing you’d like to change or introduce to your school’s spirit traditions before you graduate?

Okay, so I noticed that while I’ve been a spirit leader, the spirit leaders and the student council are similar, but are also completely different things. I feel like spirit leaders and the student council should kind of go hand in hand a little bit, and work together a little bit more. I know that our teachers, Miss Armstrong and Miss Bogart, are amazing at managing Spirit Leaders and Student Council, but we need to be more of a unit. 

11. What skills have you learned as a spirit leader that you think will help you after high school?

Definitely confidence. I feel so confident every single time I’m up on that field. I feel so confident every single time I’m at the bottom of that crowd. When I’m looking up at all the people that are looking down on me, I can feel the energy, I feel the motivation, and I feel the strength. I’ve gained so much joy, and I have gained so many friends through being a spirit leader, and I feel like this is something that I’m going to carry outside of high school. Confidence isn’t something that ever goes away. You always need to have confidence, and I think spirit leaders have a really big impact on how I feel about myself.