Hinsdale Central sideline cheerleaders can now try out for both the fall and winter seasons for the first time.

The policy change, approved in spring 2026, ends a rule that had forced sideline cheerleaders to pick one season, head coach Kristi Gabriel told the LION Newspaper in a story published Monday, Sept. 28. Competitive cheerleaders at the school already had the dual-season option. The new rule extends it to the sideline squad.

A slight decline in winter participation drove the decision. Gabriel said coaches had weighed the change for about two years before it went through. The program needed more members during the winter basketball season.

"I like that we don't have to choose between fall and winter anymore," junior Lorelei Glaser told the LION. "It gives us more time to be with our teammates and be part of the team."

Sideline cheer remains a cut activity. Each season holds its own two-day tryouts, Gabriel said. Practices run Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:45 to 5:30 p.m., with a Thursday session added when the team prepares halftime performances.

The two seasons look different on the calendar. Fall cheerleaders work football games and the Homecoming parade. The winter squad supports basketball games and events such as Pack the Place.