The cheerleading program at Mater Dei is renowned for its prolific achievements in countless CIF championships, such as seating first in the 2019 and 2022 – 2025 CIF Championships. Most recently, the team was named the 2024 NHSCC champions. They have dedicated hours improving and perfecting each stunt to preserve the Mater Dei legacy.

Despite the team’s many accomplishments, cheer, as a sport, is often not truly seen as an athletic activity or serious sport. For most cheerleaders, it’s commonplace to experience condescension from other athletes. Many spout unfair gender-based assumptions, all uneducated about the true rigor of cheerleading.

Cheer is more than just cheering and boosting spirit on the sidelines; it’s a sport filled with intense discipline to mentally and physically prepare each athlete. A normal week for cheerleaders consists of 15 total hours of running miles and repetitiously practicing the same routines. Cheerleaders take considerable time to perfect and memorize each motion, stunt, and choreographed routine. 

Sophomore Katelyn Thompson, a base for the MD cheerleading team, has dealt with many mean-spirited comments about the sport. Thomas states her frustrations and mentions her struggles with these arbitrary stereotypes. 

“It’s a really hard sport and it takes a lot of physical and mental strength because we’re lifting bodies into the [air and] throwing them,” Thompson said. “[We’re doing] stuff that most people can’t do.”

As the cheer program continues to advance and grow, varsity coach Katie Bowers hopes to redefine cheerleading for the Monarch community. She has dedicated many diligent hours to train each cheerleader to the Mater Dei standard. Bowers aspires to publicize their accomplishments throughout campus, ultimately proving any preperceived stereotypes wrong. 

“They don’t look at us as a sport,” Bowers said. “They look at us as performance-based spirit lifters. Cheer being a CIF sport now has shifted that, but unfortunately it didn’t shift across the country or certain areas. It changes daily, monthly, [and] yearly.”

Senior base Katalina Cabada is currently helping to reverse some of the stereotypes. In her fourth year on the team, she serves as an essential foundation to MD cheer. As the varsity captain, she acts as a reliable role model for her fellow teammates and ensures they uphold Mater Dei’s core values. Her important position on the team significantly builds her character and those of her teammates on and off the floor.

For the month of August, Cabada earned Mater Dei female weightlifter of the month, becoming the first cheerleader to ever win this significant title. She is proud to represent cheer in the weight room and wishes to continue the steady rise of appreciation for the sport.

“As a cheerleader, it feels cool,” Cabada said. “I feel like a lot of people don’t think that cheer is what it is, especially to this level. It’s definitely grown over the years. I’d say being the first cheer girl to get [this award] means something. It’s like all of our hard work is being noticed.”

In recent years, the public opinion of cheerleading has been influenced by TV shows and movie depictions. Popular media including Riverdale, Mean Girls, and Glee portray cheerleaders as stuck-up and rude. Because of this, cheerleaders are unfortunately associated with the “popular girl” generalization.

These clichés, however, do not apply as frequently to active cheerleaders today. The Mater Dei cheer team personifies hard work through their dedication and commitment to the sport.

Cabada’s 4-year cheer experience at Mater Dei has taught lessons and allowed her to create meaningful relationships she’ll remember for years to come. Cabada expresses how cheer has impacted her life and asserts the family-like environment the team brings.

“We’re kind, we’re hardworking, [and] we’re humble,” Cabada said. “We surround ourselves with good people, and at the end of the day for us, it’s about being a family when we walk off that floor.”