When most people think of cheerleaders, they think of the ditzy, cliquey, over-sexualized girls that are often portrayed in popular media. They’re usually supporting characters or show up in the background shots of the star football player – rarely depicted as dedicated, high-achieving, or compassionate. At Garfield High School, the typical rendering of cheerleaders couldn’t be further from the truth. The Bulldawg squad is made up of incredibly hardworking, charismatic, down-to-earth athletes and their skilled coach: the unsung heroes of Garfield sports and spirit.
Head coach Victoria Wade, aka “Coach V,” joined the Garfield community in 2023 and has been crucial in maintaining and promoting the cheer culture. Her impressive resume includes attending the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC and cheering/dancing for the NFL, for which she has been a captain for the last three years. Wade has extensive cheer and dance coaching experience in both New York and Washington State, but Garfield is her first time coaching high school in Washington. She described being drawn to GHS for “its long history of cultural diversity, growth, and spirit,” which is what she hopes to encourage through her coaching.
As the new head coach at Garfield, Wade was impressed with the cheer team’s work ethic and dynamics, stating that it was “already at a high standard” and that “all of the girls on the team treat school as their first priority and are kind to others.” She described how practices are “open and honest”, with everyone collaborating to review and create cheers. This hard work clearly paid off, because the Garfield team was selected to give a halftime performance at a UW Men’s Basketball game earlier this year, and, in Wade’s words, “THEY ATE, left no crumbs.”
Varsity cheer co-captain Karmyn Trufant also spoke about the halftime performance, putting it as one of her favorite memories from her time on the team. Trufant started All-Star cheer at six years old with club team Connect Cheer Northwest and began cheering at Garfield in her sophomore year. She is an excellent example of someone with the work ethic Coach Wade was so impressed by.Trufant currently balances both All-Star and school cheer, sometimes rushing from one practice straight to the other for a total of four hours per day. Speaking of her motivation for this grueling schedule, Trufant described how “[her] mom was a cheerleader in high school, and [her] grandma wanted to be one but didn’t get the chance.” Cheer is Trufant’s way of connecting with her family and continuing their legacy.
Wade and Trufant would like to continue to promote and expand the Garfield cheer team, with both having described a future where cheerleaders are a more integral part of school assemblies, pep rallies, and general spirit. Cheer-specific competitions and perfect stunting are also on Wade’s to-do list, but, as she pointed out, “Garfield cheer is limitless, so there is no telling what the future holds.”
Interested in trying out for cheer? Tryouts are expected in mid-April 2024 and are open to all genders! Keep an eye out for more information on the cheer team’s Instagram, which can be found at @cheer_garfieldseattle.
