Tyler Surat had no idea what he was getting himself into when he agreed to be the artist behind the Varsity banners. Working alongside the Etowah cheerleaders, he managed to juggle his family, his daytime job, and the cheerleaders including his daughter. Starting out by doodling during his free time, Surat’s creations shine in the stadium lights on Friday and Saturday nights.

“I guess you could say I wanted to contribute in some way to what my kids are doing,” Surat said.

Being a father of a cheerleader for the Junior Eagles, Surat did not know what he could do to help out his wife, Melody, and the rest of his daughter’s squad. His wife encouraged him to volunteer to draw banners, and he has been doing it for the past three years for the Junior Eagles; this is his first season creating banners for Varsity.

“I have always doodled on paper, so this gives me a chance to do it on a big scale,” Surat said.

Although Surat did not go to college for art, he loves spending his free time drawing banners. Surat begins by drawing out one banner at a time, during the week, then the Varsity and 8^th– grade teams help out with painting of the banners.

“I personally get a kick out of coming up with what the banners will say,” Surat said.

Surat’s ideas for the banner titles have a few factors. Depending on the opponent, the theme of the game, or the relevance of the game, Surat will consider all of these to ensure a great banner. Surat enjoys this because he thinks the banners set the tone for the crowd and team.