The secret is out! 

If you’ve been keeping up with Rosary’s Varsity Cheer Team as they journeyed to UCA Nationals in Florida earlier this month, or even just for their past few local competitions, then you’ve probably noticed the newest addition to the team: the Queen Mascot!

Known for her iconic dress and red ruby jewels (as well as her lawsuit-worthy resemblance to Disney’s Queen of Hearts character), the Queen has been taking GameDay routine competitions, and crowds, by storm. 

Although the cheer team has been pretty hush-hush about their newest member, the Royal Reporter has an inside scoop on the Queen’s duties to her Royal sisters, as well as her recent whereabouts, because the Royal behind the mask is none other than… me, Kit Hayward!

How’d I Become the Queen?

I was informed about a mascot opportunity coming to the Rosary Cheer team by fellow senior and cheer captain, Claire Heidelman ‘24, during our AP Government class. She was talking to her table of mostly cheer girls about this newest addition, and said aloud “if anyone’s interested in being the new mascot, hit me up!” I overheard, and offered up my name. This offer was initially unserious, because I didn’t think that Rosary would be able to add a mascot so close to their competition season. But then Claire contacted me a few weeks later with the Coaches’ info, and the rest was history!

The Costume

The stunning costume was probably the biggest wildcard of the whole mascot operation. It was severely delayed in customs, and so its eventual arrival, while exciting, left little-to-no-time for alterations.

And there was a lot to be fixed – it took a team of four people (shoutout Mia Gallegos ‘26’s family) to create the queen’s final look, which consisted of additions and alterations like two petticoats, velvet sewn onto the dress, a color scheme revamp to red and gold, and bodice bejeweling.

Another hiccup with the costume that I was unprepared for was the complete lack of visibility. The queen’s haunting blue eye cutouts only allow for a penny-sized viewing hole at all times, almost like a laser constantly pointing forward and allowing for no peripheral vision, which made transitions between rallying and Band Chant cheer where I’m handed signs or pom-poms extremely difficult. 

We powered through this issue, however, in appointing a “Royal Escort” for all competitions (typically Ava Perez ’24), as well as practiced routes to ensure I didn’t fall or trip onstage.

Florida Adventure

One of the most exciting parts about being the Queen was the journey to UCA Nationals in Florida. As someone who’s never been to Florida, much less a National Cheer Competition in Florida, it was an insane experience.

There were so many cheer teams everywhere – packed like sardines and executing full stunts on a football field, skipping through Disney World, or even huddled backstage waiting for their call-times. And performing on that stage in the giant stadium (one of four active stages, just to emphasize the sheer size of everything), with the bright lights and huge crowd, was unlike anything I’ve ever done – exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

USA Nationals

This past weekend, we had our last competition, USA Nationals, at the Anaheim Convention Center. Unlike Florida where we did only GameDay, we performed our Situational Sideline routine (which the Queen is a part of) and the Traditional routine (which the Queen is not a part of). Situational Sideline is different from GameDay because it doesn’t have the Fight Song portion at the end, and cheerleaders must base their offense/defense callouts on a randomized football prompt announced on stage.

The biggest issue with this competition in particular was that it was almost double booked with the Water Polo CIF Finals Game, and so I practically sprinted from the pool after the win to my car, arriving within 15 minutes of performance time. 

But everything went smoothly, and it was a great final competition, as we scored sixth place for our Situational Sideline routine! 

Finishing Notes

Reflecting on this experience, I had a lot of fun as the Cheer Mascot. Being the mascot challenged me in a lot of unexpected ways, whether that be learning new choreography, working to balance my sports schedules between cheer and water polo, or even socializing with a team I hadn’t previously been involved in. But everyone was so very welcoming, and I’m very proud of how much the cheer team has accomplished, both with and without my help.

I’m so very grateful that my breakout position as the mascot could help to further showcase Rosary Cheer girls’ hard work and dedication, and I’m excited to see where the position goes next year.

Crowns up, Royals!