Cheerleaders may not look like disciplined athletes, with those pompoms and unfailing grins. But don't let the peppy attitude fool you. Cheerleading squads are about more than memorizing chants to support school teams. They are about tumbling, stunting, gymnastics and dance.

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"Cheerleading requires a lot of athletic ability," Carencro High cheerleading sponsor Gerald Janise said.

Teurlings Catholic High School cheerleading sponsor Erin Boudreaux, a former TCH and UL cheerleader, said cheerleading is "an athletic activity."

"It's pretty intense," she said of the preparation the team goes through, at times practicing twice a day.

New cheerleaders at Carencro High are chosen in April, and that's when practice begins for summer camp. They perform at pep rallies, football games, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer and volleyball games.

"It does take a lot out of your schedule," captain Megan Dugas said.

At TCH, cheerleaders gather at 5:45 a.m. for practice before school. Senior Jansee Jones, co-captain of the 22-person squad, said all the practice is worth it when they perform.

"Some people say it's not a sport or it's not hard," she said. "We put a lot of effort into it."

TCH co-captain Kristin Viator said cheerleading often isn't taken seriously. But it's clear that the squad practicing in the gym before the break of dawn is completely serious as they work on stunts that require skill and agility that doesn't come overnight.

At St. Thomas More, the 22-girl squad practices after class at the school and once a week goes to a local gym for tumbling practice.

"They're really good," STM first-year sponsor Melanie Lauer said. "They have to stay in shape, and it takes a lot of time."

Emily Goudeau, a senior Comeaux High School cheerleader, said the biggest misperception about cheerleading is that it's easy.

"A lot of people don't consider it a sport, and it really is," Goudeau said.

While the argument still exists for whether cheerleading is a sport, there's no argument that being a cheerleader requires a certain level of discipline and a love for your school.

"You have to be a very big people person," Goudeau said. "You have to have a lot of school spirit. You have to know how to dance, and you have to have a lot of free time."

Not your average cheerleader

A wheelchair may confine 16-year-old Kathryn Soileau physically, but it can't contain her spirit.

"She just always wanted to be a cheerleader," said her mother, Patricia Soileau.

Sponsor Gerald Janise said Kathryn tried out and made the squad.

"She learns the cheers, and she's out there yelling with them," he said.

While Kathryn may not be the average cheerleader, she's been accepted by the other members of the squad, her mother said.

"She gives the other cheerleaders a lesson," Janise said. "She teaches them that just because you're handicapped that doesn't mean you can't participate."