As the basketball season enters the final month at White County High School, the spotlight goes beyond the Warriors and Warriorettes on the court. Along the sidelines, Tracy Mason and her cheer squad are bringing energy, spirit, and hard-earned stunts to every game, determined to lift the team and the crowd alike.
Mason, entering her ninth year as head coach, said this year’s group is pushing harder than ever. A former band student herself, she did not grow up inside the cheer world, but through her daughter’s decades-long cheer journey, including a collegiate career at Tennessee Tech, Mason developed a deep understanding of the sport. By the time the cheer position opened at White County, she was ready.
“Cheerleading is hard. It’s difficult,” Mason said. “There’s things to remember, there’s, you’re throwing girls in the air, you’re lifting girls, it’s hard.”
Her Warriors cheer program has a proven track record, earning blue ribbons, gold ribbons, and multiple spirit sticks while maintaining a strong presence at school events and youth mini-camps. Mason said it is not the awards that drive her but rather the achievements each one has after every practice or game.
Safety remains her top priority. Mason said she gets nervous watching her athletes attempt challenging stunts, a perspective shaped by her experiences as a parent of a former cheerleader.
“It kind of scares me a little bit when they do some of those difficult stunts,” Mason said. “Me being a parent of a former cheerleader, it just kind of [worries me.]”
Mason said her number-one rule is simple and non-negotiable.
“If any of the bases or backspots lets a flier hit the ground, then they are in trouble,” Mason said. “We don’t let our fliers hit the ground. They have too far to fall.”
Using mats for advanced skills, the squad is honing new stunts designed to match the fast pace and high energy of basketball season. Mason said their goal is not just to cheer, but also to elevate the atmosphere, rally the fans, and give the basketball teams a boost as they aim for postseason success.
With Mason at the helm, the White County cheerleaders are not just sideline supporters. They are a driving force behind the Warriors’ momentum, proving that hard work, precision, and heart matter both on the court and in the air.