Passion.
Dedication.
Communication.
Those are the three traits that cheer head coach Patrice France noticed in Sarina Desai when she was a freshman in France’s junior varsity squad. Those are also the reasons the program’s supervisor gave for her decision to select Desai — a sophomore — to join senior Mackenzy Jung and junior Jasmine Diaz as varsity cheer co-captains during the 2024-2025 school year.
“She has consistently demonstrated a high level of dedication to the team, whether through leading by example or motivating others,” France said.
And when Desai — a base for the squad — first landed this position, she said she could not believe it.
“It was surreal because, although I applied, I never really thought I had a chance against all the varsity [cheerleaders],” the sophomore said. “I’m thankful for the coaches for believing in me, and I really tried my hardest to match their expectations as a captain.”
Unlike some of her peers on the team, Desai said she did not start this sport before attending high school. But her experience in jazz dance since elementary school helped her make the appropriate adjustments to pick up the skills necessary to learn and pick up cheer routines.
“I think cheer and dance go hand in hand because there are a lot of complicated movements,” the underclassman said. “I loved to dance ever since I was young, and I think that kind of made me want to continue that throughout high school.”
Although she was originally interested in joining Dance Production, Desai said she chose cheer after talking to her friend and mentor, Silvia Santos — a Class of 2024 Sunny Hills alumna whom Desai met when she first began taking tumbling classes in September 2024 at OC All-stars Cheer in Anaheim.
“She was my main reason for joining cheer,” the sophomore said. “When I saw her performances, I was always in awe, and I wanted to be like her.”
When she tried out for the cheer team during her freshman year, Desai said she earned a spot on the JV team. But she didn’t rest on her pompoms.
“I was glad I made it on the team to begin with, and I felt very grateful to be with the cheer members,” she said. “But a part of me also wanted to accomplish something greater, so I gave it my absolute all during my freshman year.”
MAKING THAT FIRST IMPRESSION STICK
To “accomplish something greater,” Desai said she made an effort to prove to her coaches that earning a spot on the squad with little experience wasn’t a fluke. One way to prove herself was working on cheer stunts with those at a higher level than her.
“I tried my absolute best to sort of outshine the other members,” she said. “Being a team member and working together is important, but I also thought it was important to do my best to be recognized.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
“Sarina’s performance as a cheerleader is exceptional,” France said. “She is technically proficient and always strives to push herself to the next level, inspiring the whole team.”
When thinking back to a moment that stood out, France pointed to Desai’s performance during last year’s CIF-SS competition in which the team placed 11th.
“Sarina was integral in leading her team through a difficult routine, where she stayed calm under pressure and executed her stunts flawlessly,” the head coach said. “Her ability to maintain focus, even when things weren’t going perfectly, truly makes her a standout athlete.”
Co-cheer captain base junior Jasmine Diaz agreed.
“Having Sarina as a co-captain was great,” Diaz said. “Me and her worked with each other to find ways to help the team, and she brought a good energy to the team and always had really good ideas for Friday night games; she is very dedicated and a great leader.”
That dedication led to France’s email Desai had received during her summer school geometry class. It announced that she would become one of the three varsity co-captains for the 2024-2025 school year.
“I didn’t think I stood a chance against all the people who applied because it was my first year doing cheer, and I was in JV,” she said. “I kept it a secret from my parents at first because I thought it was a mistake.”
Desai’s mother said she was also shocked when her daughter eventually decided to let her parents know about the results.
“We had no idea that it could even be a real thing given that she is only a sophomore,” Jessica Desai said. “We were so proud of her, and it makes me so happy to know that her coaches recognize her love for the sport; she absolutely loves it and loves being around all the girls.”
LEADERSHIP COMES WITH ITS CHALLENGES
Just like how Sarina Desai had to adjust from jazz dance to cheer, the rising junior said she also had to adjust to being a leader who happens to be an underclassman.
“Since I’m young, it’s kind of natural for the older members not to take me seriously and listen to me during practices,” the co-cheer captain said. “It was difficult for me mentally to overcome that, and I felt down sometimes, but the other captains cheered me up.”
Sarina Desai was referring to Jung.
“One day, she came up to me with a sad face and told me how she felt about some people not treating her like an actual captain,” the senior said. “I was worried for her because she’s still young, but I knew she could overcome it with her strong mentality.”
That first conversation led to some more — one in particular that stood out was when they were working on a routine last fall.
“Makenzy and I were on a box, and she talked to me about finding my voice,” the sophomore said. “She had told me that she had been in my position before and influenced me to be my best; I would not have been [at] my best or even where I am today without her.”
Base senior Bianca Baciu said she eventually came around to accepting the underclassman as one of her leaders.
“Working with a sophomore cheer captain was definitely a unique experience only because of how much responsibility that position holds,” Biac said. “But she always proved her responsibility by encouraging everyone with special words like ‘you got this’ or ‘don’t give up’ when doing a stunt or performance; she also thrives with confidence at every game.”
Looking back, Desai said she can tell how much she has matured.
“I learned so much about myself and life through joining cheer,” the sophomore said. “It’s more about the sisterhood because we’re all girls just trying to cheer for each other and other students, and I think that’s the best part about cheer.”
For the upcoming school year, the rising junior said she plans to utilize her experience as a captain to continue to lead her teammates.
“I love our team, and I believe in us,” she said. “Moving forward as the captain, I want to make sure we stay true to ourselves and continue doing what we can do in our best power for future performances, and I hope to motivate the new members.”
