Buford cheer builds culture of discipline, trust beyond the mat

BUFORD — Success is never accidental inside Buford’s athletic department. But behind the bright lights, music and high-flying stunts, few see the discipline that defines Buford Cheer.

Long before they step onto the sidelines or competition mat, these athletes spend months in quiet gyms — pushing through conditioning circuits, refining technique and building the trust required in one of the school’s most demanding sports.

The Buford varsity cheer team performs during the “Battle at the Bluff” competition. The Wolves’ precision and energy helped fuel one of the strongest seasons in program history. (Photo by Heather Kirksey)

Legs shake during Wednesday conditioning reps. Film is dissected frame by frame. Timing is practiced until it becomes instinct. For those inside the program, cheer is not a sideline activity — it is a year-round commitment rooted in accountability, preparation and resilience.

And under head coach Rebecca Powell, that commitment has become culture.

Redefining the Identity

When Powell took over the program three years ago, she didn’t start by changing routines.

She started by reshaping identity.

“When I took over this program, I knew redefining our culture was crucial,” Powell said. “I wanted to create a space where my athletes could feel valued, seen, and held accountable to be their best selves on and off the mat.”

What emerged wasn’t just a team — it was a sisterhood. One built not on trophies, but on how the athletes navigate adversity together.

A Culture Built on Trust

Members of the Buford varsity cheer team gather in a pre-practice huddle inside the gym. Trust and accountability remain central pillars of the program’s identity under head coach Rebecca Powell. (Photo by Heather Kirksey)

Each season begins with conversation — not choreography.

Powell and her athletes sit down to rebuild their core values from the ground up. And one value consistently rises to the top:

Trust.

“Every strong foundation is built on trusting and believing in each other,” Powell said.

In competitive cheer, trust isn’t symbolic. It’s survival. Timing, safety and precision depend on absolute reliability. When one athlete rises into the air, she does so knowing the teammates beneath her will be exactly where they need to be.

But Buford’s standard goes beyond competition.

“What separates us is accepting the fact that we can only control what we can control,” Powell said. “Every practice, team meeting and competition is an opportunity to outperform ourselves, not just other teams.”

Recovery and mental well-being are also priorities. In a sport that demands perfection, Powell calls the team’s recovery standards “top tier.”

The Process Behind Precision

Competitive cheer is equal parts athleticism and artistry. Every skill must land with near-perfect execution.

“You not only have to perform high-level skills, but you have to do it with perfect execution and precision,” Powell said. “The challenge is not losing patience and knowing it’s a process.”

The process begins in the summer. Athletes spend weeks conditioning the building blocks of stunts and tumbling. By mid-August, consistency begins to take shape.

September shifts into choreography and detail work. The team breaks routines down “second by second,” reviewing weekly film and refining timing until movements sharpen into muscle memory.

“Once conditioning and good timing start coming together, it creates a level of consistency that also produces confidence when my athletes take the mat,” Powell said.

What an Intense Practice Really Looks Like

Wednesday is known as the test.

“Wednesday is typically our hardest practice session,” Powell said. “I like to build as the week progresses, but Wednesday is the hardest part.”

The session begins with a “comp day warm-up,” simulating meet-day pressure. The team then performs a full-out run of the routine. That performance determines the direction of practice.

Community send-off celebration as the team prepared to compete for a state title. (Photo by Heather Kirksey)

If they hit, they run sections for repetition.

If they miss, those skills take priority.

Practice ends with stunt and pyramid lines — six-for-six hits required.

It is grueling by design.

“In order for it to feel right on a Saturday competition day, it has to feel hard at practice,” Powell said.

A Season Defined by Resilience

The 2024–25 season became one of the strongest in program history.

The Wolves earned three first-place finishes in four regular-season competitions. They set a program record score of 105.5 at Cherokee Bluff and claimed both the Region 8-AAAAAA and AAAAAA Sectional championships.

At state, Buford posted another program-record score of 106.5, tying for the top spot before ultimately finishing state runner-up after a tiebreaker.

Despite the heartbreak, Powell said this team’s legacy isn’t defined by the final result.

“This group was unique because of their resiliency,” she said. “They faced obstacles early on but continuously showed up to fight for one another. Their bond and sisterhood were genuine.”

Anyone who watched them compete could see it.

“You could not help being captivated by their passion and fight for one another on the mat,” Powell said.

Lessons Beyond the Mat

For Powell, the ultimate goal has nothing to do with trophies.

“My hope is that they win in life,” she said.

That means building authentic relationships. Learning to rely on others. Becoming someone others can rely on in return.

The discipline required in cheer — showing up, pushing through adversity, staying steady — extends far beyond high school.

“I want them to understand that doing hard things is what produces success,” Powell said. “And I want them to know the door to our cheer home is always open for them.”