In a world abundant in media impersonations of high school life — TV shows and magazines where cheerleaders inevitably date football players and bullies always get what’s coming to them — it is important to stay down to earth, to reflect on what the wild ride that is Garfield High School, and to applaud those that were able to accomplish great things without the help of costume designers, choreographers, or special effects.

Where better to find one of these blessed individuals than on Garfield’s own cheer squad? We may see them performing at assemblies or athletic events, but we miss the hours of hard work that goes on behind the scenes, the sweat and tears that are poured just so that we can Y-E-L-L like idiots. Though every cheerleader is commendable, one character  has gone through thick and thin to achieve her position on the squad.

Enter Annie Plunkett. As a sophomore last year, Annie tried out for cheerleading despite having little to no experience in the art of shaking pom poms and doing the splits.  Annie traces her obsession back to childhood,  

“I’ve wanted to be a cheerleader ever since I was a little girl.”

Why?

“I don’t know, it’s just one of those things. Every girl wants to be a cheerleader, even if they won’t admit it.”

However,  cheering did not come so naturally to Plunkett as it does to some girls. In fact she tried out for the squad once before but, unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well. An off beat performance left the cruel sting of embarrassment, but also an enduring dream to try out again. Indeed, at the end of last year she was able finally able to count herself among the great that call themselves the Garfield cheerleading squad.

Still, Plunkett struggled at first and had a hard time fitting in. Intimidating upperclassmen and demanding practices did little to help the situation. What we do in these positions make us who we are, and Plunkett showed her quality by putting in the extra effort both in the routines and with the other girls.

“I realized that it was more about being nice than about being hard (guarded).”
Plunkett’s infectious nicety helped her integrate into the team, and after breaking down the steps and practicing on her own, she was able to master the technique and beauty of cheering. As much as anything, Plunkett is motivated by the coaches.

“I hated the look of disappointment the coach used to give me when I did something wrong, so I worked to fix it.”

Not only did the coaches notice this commitment but the cheer captain as well came to appreciate Plunkett’s hard work. Senior Sha Perine had nothing but kind words to bestow upon young Plunket.

“When she does something wrong she takes mental notes. It was different for her at first but she wanted it enough to work for it.”

Plunkett’s amiability and unwavering optimism served her well on her road to cheering glory and continue to dominate her personality. Though the team does not compete in any Bring It On-esque competitions, Plunkett is sure that they would win, commenting only that, “The teams that do compete just have nothing better to do than cheer all the time.”

In a world full of pessimism, self-doubt, and failures without redemption, it is refreshing to hear Annie Plunkett’s story of determination. We can always achieve more than we think.