Tyler Liang, Emily McMurry, and Natalie Thorpe are the new varsity cheer captains of the 2022-23 school year! Liang says that he believes his team’s strongest asset is how close they are. 

Liang has been in cheer at Cypress High for three years. He joined cheer because he loves the sport and the people in it. He says that cheer is a warm and welcoming environment to him and it is also what he is good at. 

Thorpe agrees that their team’s strongest asset is their friendship and closeness with each other. Thorpe says, “We’re all connected as one big family so it’s really easy to get along.” Thorpe tried out for cheer because she has been involved since age six. She mentioned that cheer’s good/competitive reputation made her want to be a part of the team. She added, “It’s gonna be a big season for us with some new competitions and I’m excited to see where we go.”

Madeleine Simbulan is the new varsity song captain this year. She has been in song since 10th grade. Simbulan’s passion for dancing started at 7 years old, and it has persisted since. Though she wishes to pursue dancing as a career, she explains she probably can’t, due to health. She states as a captain she feels more bonded with the other girls. Simbulan explains the hardest part of being a captain is choosing decisions for the team that not everyone may agree with. Lastly, she states, “Song is a really good way to build friendships and better collaboration skills, and it is very fun and you have a very good time.”

Jordan Rios is the junior varsity song captain and this is her second year of being captain! After being on last year’s frosh team, Rios has now become part of the junior varsity. She explains she started dancing at 5 years old and tried many other sports, but something about dancing stood out to her. As a captain she enjoys communicating with others and states the hardest part is having the girls listen to you and make a choice that can satisfy everyone. Rios plans to continue dancing as a career. “People should join song because you make a lot of friends, and everyone is so nice, and we all want you to do your best,” she said.

New junior varsity cheer captain, Brookelyn Genera’s favorite thing about being in cheer is “getting to represent our school in the best way possible and make new friends.” Genera is a sophomore who first joined cheer because her mom encouraged her to, and she learned to love it throughout the years. Genera said, “She thought it’d be a good time for me to make friends, and I totally did.” Genera, in her free time, loves to read, listen to music, and hang out with friends. Genera said, “Cheer is a good way to get yourself out there to be more social. Everyone on the spirit squad is so welcoming and you’ll love it if you join.”

Song and cheer have a hopeful outlook on this season. They bring fantastic opportunities to support your school, and allow students to make new friends and create strong bonds with team members.