All-Girl Cheer is Never Sidelined

By Kaitlyn Kirkpatrick
Nov. 15, 2023

There hasn't always been a place for women on all-girl teams during their collegiate careers at the University of Tennessee. But in 2022 that all changed with the addition of the University of Tennessee all-girl cheer team. This team allows women to continue their passion for cheerleading without having to change the way they have learned to cheer. This club also gives the girls an opportunity to meet girls who have similar passions and interests as their own. 

“It's been so much fun, and I've met so many new people. We are just now getting parts of our routine which is great, but really hard. It's really fun to work together as a team and hit out stuff!” said Abby Neal.

All-girl cheer is exactly what it sounds like, it’s a team consisting of all females. The amount of women on the average cheer team is about 20-30 girls. Each week the girls practice for about three to six hours. Last week, the team had their NCA camp, which allowed them to receive their bid for their competition. In April they will go and compete at the NCA College Nationals in Daytona Florida.

“It is a long process, and this year is a complete turnaround from last year. In the long run, we did so well with getting our name out on campus. This year we had so many girls have interest in coming and trying out.” said Sydney Kearns

Kearns is the president and founder of the All-girl cheerleading team at UT. She has worked alongside Isabella Sibold, vice president, for two years now. They have grown exponentially since the year before and strive to do the same in the coming years. 

Avery Gries, a sophomore on the team, said “I feel like there's a lot more organization and drive this year. Which is really good, and I’m definitely here for it!”

Even though they only perform on the mat and not on the sideline, they will never be sidelined.