Eddie Torres, who was raised in Dinuba, California, always wanted to dance, so when he was in the fourth grade he joined the school jazz club and then went on to join the cheer team once he got to eighth grade. Many people, including his parents, did not think that it was right for boys to dance. Though he loved it, he knew he would never be good enough to make the grade professionally and so he went to University where he took a math major. He now teaches math at Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas, California where he has been for four years.
However, he never lost his love for dancing, and especially not cheerleading. So much so that he is now the head coach of the cheerleading team at the school and what is more, for the first time in decades, the team has made it to the National Cheerleading High School Championships which will be held in Disneyland, Orlando next spring.
Eddie always loved doing cheer and has been especially pleased with the reaction of the male students who have also shown interest in joining the squad. The cheer squad, he says, is important to the student, especially for those with problems at home, as it has a sense of unity and allows a release from other issues.
He describes dancing as much like math in that everyone can learn to do both. Both can take time to learn and he says that dance is not just random things put together; it is actually like a mathematical set algorithm. However, he goes on to say that cheer is not easy as it involves a lot of practice but the results can be tremendously rewarding when the squad gives a great performance.