The gymnasium booms with cheers and excitement as a group of red and white dressed cavaliers break out into a performance. In every direction, there are students expressing great energy towards the schools biggest performers. The dancers and cheerleaders move to a mashup of the most popular songs, generating an incredible response from the crowd.
On Sept. 20, Coral Gables Senior High hosted its first pep rally of the 2023-2024 school year. Following the “red-out” protocol, Cavaliers decked themselves out with all things red, enhancing school morale. Gables’ national winning dance team, known as the Gablettes, alongside the cheer team unite, put on a spectacular production.
“We started this collaboration with the cheerleaders last year and I feel like it makes us come together even more as a school, instead of butting-heads and being rivals how we were in past years. Overall, it makes us more spirited because there should not be any competition,” senior Tamya Wallace said.
As the students headed into the gymnasium during their last class of the day, power 96 DJ’d, while the cheerleaders danced on one side of the gym and the Gablettes on the other. Beginning the pep rally with chants and cheering, the pep rally hosts rile up the cavaliers, creating a tremendously excited atmosphere. In addition, students participated in games competing against one another by grade level.
This inclusiveness encouraged students to represent the school pride carried at Gables. As the bass drops, the cheerleaders and Gablettes had the crowd ecstatic. As they begin their dance unified as one large group, they eventually split, displaying their individual talents. Concluding the showcase, the athletes unified again, displaying their eminence as a whole.
Under the eyes of the Gablette coach Ms. Diaz and cheer coach Ms. Noval, the athletes have been working on a daily basis to ensure perfection during their performance. Practices began on Aug. 28 in the school gym, typically lasting around two hours.
The dancers follow a routine during their usual practices, consisting of deep full body stretches, working on technique and rehearsing new routines. On the other hand, the cheerleaders practices mainly consists of stunt based drills and rehearsing chants. This contrast created a great opportunity for both teams to learn and bond as they take on an unfamiliar type of practice. One of the most known and impactful teams, they bring both talents together to easily set the stage for a grand number.
“The atmosphere is definitely really hype and fun. It’s a really surprising thing because you often don’t see Gablettes and cheerleaders doing collabs. So when it does happen I feel like it is really cool, it’s something really nice that everybody gets to see and enjoy together,” sophomore Gabriella Arango said.
Considering the unfamiliarity of working together as one, both teams relied on each other’s knowledge in order to learn new skills. For decades, it was known that the cheerleaders and Gablettes would not intermingle when it came to their displays of talent. These two teams were almost seen as rivals, as they both obtain the role of being Gables’ main performers. Last school year, the two executed a routine together during the first pep-rally of the year, putting the cavalier community into shock, as they had finally broken this decades long streak.
They pieced together their two strengths, which are stunting and dancing, and just combined them. It was something I had no words for. It was something that inspired me to become a cheerleader. Working with them has been nothing but great and I look forward to doing it again in the future,”
— junior Melissa Hernandez
Without fail, the Gablettes maintain their reputation, amazing the audience with their high kicks, sharp technique and impeachable harmony. Watching the cheerleaders flip, turn and chant for their school is the perfect way to get the student body excited, displaying Gables pride. Seeing a combination, the crowd marveled at the abundant talent that was showcased the day of the pep rally.
“When they’re together the audience can really tell how much practice they went through to make sure everything was on point. Everyone was on time and synchronized and it looked really great, and the crowd had a great reaction,” senior Jayden Solomon said.
Merging these skills only allows for an even more exceptional display of what Gables bears behind its walls. Cavaliers hope to see more of the cheerleaders and Gablettes together in the future.
