Arrowhead High School has been a statewide leader in academics as well as sports.  Last year, the student body attended Camp Randall Stadium in Madison to cheer on their varsity football team. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, it was the Warhawks fourth straight year attending state, and their thirteenth trip overall. But with six state titles, the Warhawks will not be headed to state in Madison this year.

Having been an Arrowhead cheerleader for three out of my four high school years I, along with many others, are disappointed we will not be showing our school spirit at state this year.

Many  Arrowhead alumni and former AHS cheerleaders say cheering at Camp Randall was an unforgettable experience. And I could not agree more.

Being in Camp Randall is unbelievable. I spent three of my four years actively involved in football and basketball games. From personal experience I can say State games are incomparable to any other game. We, as a school and as a team, have seen many wins but few losses.

Shelby Langer, an Arrowhead varsity cheerleader said, “Attending state both my freshman and sophomore year[s], were interesting experiences. The cold is hard to battle, but the experience is definitely worth every amount of frost bite I received. We spend so much time in practice to be confident enough take the field with our heads held high regardless of the score. Maintaining a positive attitude is crucial for success. I am sad we will not be going to state this year, but at the same time, there were a lot of changes to the football program this year. I almost was not expecting to see them at state this year. As a team, the Warhawks are still strong. One defeat like this will not keep us grounded. We will soar once again and we will prevail. Defeat will not ruin us, it will only make us stronger. We are still the storm.”

The cheerleaders have a common theme: they are disappointed, but not upset. They are trying to uphold the positive mindset they feel the community should have.

Michelle Stuart, an Arrowhead alumi said, “I was a varsity cheerleader for two years. The state games were the best games I have attended. Being under the Friday night lights, knowing my team was standing right besides me was an uplifting experience. Hearing the crowd as they roared with every touchdown or successful pass is still memorable. A truly unforgettable experience, I feel bad for the football team because we know they worked hard. I hope they don’t look at this as defeat, but a chance to improve. To come back better, faster, and stronger next year. I have not attended many games this year, but the ones I have attended I was shown a lot of impressive things. I was looking forward to attending, but it is not the end of the world. I hope the student body takes it easy on the football team. They obviously are not happy about the outcome, but they can not change it. The only thing the class of 2016 can do is look back on all the amazing memories of the season. And hopefully the class of 2017 can learn from the mistakes made and come up with more victories.”

The Warhawk spirit is never demolished. Only slightly changed. “Friday Night Lights” may no longer be a hashtag seen on Arrowhead’s students’ Instagram posts, but the lights will never dim. And there will always be room for improvement. All we can do is continue to show our support.