Russellville High School cheerleaders have had a busy summer preparing to pump up Golden Tiger fans this fall.

After a summer jam-packed with camp and intensive strengthening and conditioning, the Russellville High School Golden Tiger cheerleaders are ready to cheer the team to victory.

Several new faces join the squad this school year. “We lost eight seniors, so we’re a new squad, but we have a lot of talent and a lot of beauty. They are very eager,” Coach Stephanie Mayfield said. “I’ve never had such a peaceful squad. They’re very eager to learn.”

Two of her girls have never cheered before. “They are super pumped. That’s the kind of energy I like to see.”

The cheerleaders have been working new cheers to get the crowd pumped – “It’s hard to get the fans to cheer with us sometimes because they’re not used to that,” Mayfield said, – and the girls have trained intensely this summer, using both Pilates and yoga to improve their cores and upper body strength.

“Our building is tremendous this year,” Mayfield said. “That’s definitely our biggest strength this year – having three solid building groups that are interchangeable.”

The squad will several key focuses for this year, Mayfield said, including increased community involvement – such as the upcoming annual mini cheer camp, during which varsity cheerleaders work with young girls to teach them cheers and a dance, which they perform on the field at a Russellville game – as well as looking to transition into a competition squad next year. One goal at the forefront for Mayfield is developing a Golden Tiger dedicated cheerleading facility.

“My No. 1 goal is to find funds and raise funds for that. They deserve it,” Mayfield said. “I want it to be the biggest, best program in the state.”

The 14-member squad is still seeking a mascot for this year. Boys and girls in grades 10-12 are eligible to try out. But other than that, Mayfield said, “we’re ready to roll. We can’t wait for this year to start. Our No. 1 is to support this team and get to state.”