While WJ sophomore Karlo Lazaro effortlessly performs a toe touch jump during halftime, he can sort each face in the audience into a certain category: supportive, confused or disapproving. As WJ’s first male cheerleader, Lazaro has learned firsthand about the stereotypes of male cheerleaders but has also been pleasantly surprised by the ability of his peers to accept him for who he is.

As a hip-hop dancer, Lazaro always kept the idea of cheerleading in the back of his head. After casually cheering with friends throughout middle school, Lazaro decided to try out without a specific cheer background. Lazaro wasn’t able to try out as a freshman because of problems with his physical exam records, but made the varsity team after trying out for the winter season of his sophomore year.

“With my dancing I thought I had the potential to be a cheerleader,” Lazaro said “I’ve been dancing ever since I was a little kid so it’s a big part of my life and it always helps me stay true to who I really am.”

For Lazaro, the best part of being on the team is his close relationship with his teammates. As WJ’s first ever male cheerleader, none of his teammates had ever cheered with a guy on the team, but Lazaro said he has grown close to his teammates and they always make him feel comfortable.

“The best part about cheer is being with my fellow cheerleaders because it makes me feel like I’m part of a family,” Lazaro said. “I’ve never really had anyone to call a family and cheerleading let’s me do this.”

Natalie Guion, a junior on the team, said Lazaro always has a positive attitude when learning new things. The team treats Lazaro like any other teammate and makes sure that he doesn’t get treated differently just for being a guy, Guion said.

“He almost always has a smile on his face and is extremely nice,” Guion said. “The dynamic of the team hasn’t changed much because a team shouldn’t be all about the one male cheerleader we have, but the whole team including him.”

By becoming a cheerleader, Lazaro worried about the reaction he would receive from other guys both while he was cheering and in school. Lazaro feared that most guys would disapprove of his sport and taunt him in the hallways, he said.

After performing for the first time at the winter pep rally, Lazaro was relieved by the crowd’s genuine excitement with his performance. The lack of critical comments and jokes he received after the pep rally made him even happier that he decided to try out, he said. While being a male cheerleader may come with a few negative consequences, Lazaro is proud to be competing in the sport he loves, no matter what the stereotypes are.

“I love dancing and choreographing, so cheer is a place where I can bring my ideas to life and just be me,” he said.