Hey guys! It’s Raelee here—a senior at Farragut High School in Knoxville, TN. Go Admirals! I have been cheering since the third grade and this is my fourth and final year on the varsity squad at FHS. This year I am lucky enough to be one of our team captains. I am also an IT Girl for Varsity Spirit!
As my high school career comes to a close, I’d like to share with you some of the favorite memories… FRIDAY. NIGHT. LIGHTS.
Fall Friday nights in east Tennessee are for one thing and one thing only…high school football. It’s an event when the whole community comes together and supports their team, cheerleaders, dancers, the band and more.
Everything we do is a way of supporting the program and letting the players and coaches know that we appreciate the sacrifices they make for the community and our school.
We, the cheerleaders, stay positive for the team whether we win or lose. We set the mood for the team, and we keep the crowd involved and present. One of the ways we stay engaged is involving the band a lot to keep the crowd amped. We also have a robotics team that uses their project machines to throw out free t-shirts.
My favorite time of the year is homecoming week. During homecoming we have “spirit week” featuring a different theme everyday at school to dress up in anticipation of the big game and of course the homecoming court and dance.
My other favorite time is when we play our rival— the Bearden Bulldogs. It’s always a heated game with lots of excitement throughout the week. The cheerleaders hand out puppy chow to amp up the team and fans for the much-awaited “dawgs.” We also pass around the ‘crown of Kingston Pike’ (both schools are on this road!) The winner keeps the crown for the year. Yes… you guessed it we have it in our possession.
We also give back to our community; I have held several bake sales for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and a fellow classmate who had cancer. So far, I’ve raised over $1,350! Most recently Farragut hosted ‘Cuts for the Cure,’ where several brave students had their head shaved in front of the stands during a Friday night football game. We raised several thousand dollars for cancer research in just one evening!
Now, we are on to basketball season. A different season, but still a lot of fun and excitement cheering on my Admirals. Follow us on Instagram @farragutcheerleading to keep up with all the fun things we have going on the rest of the year! #GoAds!
—Raelee Scarbrough, Farragut High School, Tennessee
