As soon as Seth Lance began walking the halls of Chapman High, he began making history. Lance is the first male cheerleader for our Panthers since Nick Easler in 2013.

This being his senior year, he wanted to make the most of it.

“I wanted to try something new, something I’ve never done before, something that would provide a different aspect on being an athlete and interacting with people in and out of school,” Lance said.

With the persuasiveness of his coaches, family, and friends, Lance has no regrets of trying out and joining the squad. Putting aside all negative thoughts and doubts, he persevered and came out on top.

Although he doesn’t have much experience with cheering, he does have some with tumbling. “I basically taught myself how to do standing backflips and through cheer perfected them,” Lance said. Practicing with his team has only made him better, and it continues to do so.

Along with most high school experiences, Lance has faced some controversy; however, this has only inspired him to try even harder.

“It was guaranteed that people were going to say things about the fact that there’s a guy on the team,” he said. “If anything, I hope to take the stigma that goes along with male cheerleaders away.” Not only is Lance making history in our school, but also in our community.

Since cheer season has begun, Lance has loved every second of it.

“I’ve really enjoyed learning how to stunt and tumble, and football games have been insane,” he says.

He has grown to love for Friday night lights in Panther Nation, hopefully sticking with him for the rest of his life.

At the end of Lance’s sophomore year, his family packed up and moved to Inman from a small town in Ohio.

“My old school was a fraction of the size of Chapman, so it was a really big change,” Lance said.  “but I’ve made some great friends here and have come to love it.”

Chapman has been a great school for Lance to transition to.

Although changing schools is never easy, it is safe to say cheering has made all the difference when it comes to settling in and getting used to new things.

After he graduates, Lance plans to go to college and major in mechanical engineering, and as no surprise, he also plans to cheer in college.

Lance is making history at Chapman High and is truly making the most of his final year as a panther.