Cheerleading is back in Ponca after being cut from budget - KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and Sports

It's hard to imagine a Friday night football game or walking into a packed gym for a basketball game without hearing the sound of cheerleaders rooting for their team.

One northeast Nebraska community went the last year without the sport because of budget cuts, but that's about to change.

In the spring of 2010, the Ponca School District cut both cheerleading and wrestling to make ends meet.

After going a full season without wrestling, the program was reinstated last spring.

A school board vote Monday night means cheerleading is now also back in Ponca, which creates more opportunities for students.

Joan Reznicek, the Superintendent of Ponca Schools said, "Cheerleading is a tradition in probably every school. It's just an opportunity for kids to be involved in another activity other than your volleyball or girl's basketball or track. It's a good opportunity for kids to get involved."

According to Reznicek, they were looking for a "sponsor" who was employed by the school to help coach the squad and found some staff members to do so.