The 2006-2007 Cabrini College cheerleading season is gearing up for what they hope will be a creative and productive year.
The cheerleading squad, headed by coach Tiffany Bendistis, is hoping that this season will be one of both fun and hard work, resulting in some great routines. The women of the squad each have their hand in helping to create the cheers and dance routines. However they give most of the credit to captain Jamie Clark, a sophomore pre-nursing major. Clark said, “I don’t just come up with the routines on my own, I have help and input from all the girls.”
They performed at Midnight Madness in October, which was the highlight of their season thus far. Junior elementary education major and captain Elana Kousisis said, “Midnight Madness was just the beginning for us. It helped to have sort of a debut to the games. The fans got to see us. We were visible. Midnight Madness was a great success for the squad.”
The spirit the women have on the court transcends into their personal lives. They celebrate a team night where they show their support for each other through special activites. Elissa Barrett sophomore special education major said, “In October we decorated and carved pumpkins, we used Halloween as our theme. We sometimes decorate the locker rooms. We feel like this helps to promote spirit and unity as a team.”
Senior American studies major and captain Meg Eller said that the team hopes to cheer at 20 games this season. Eller said, “We really want to get the word out about the squad. We want the fans to be excited to see our halftime routines and keep coming back.”
The cheerleading squad is a fairly new addition to Cabrini Athletics. Created about four years ago, the girls are working hard on gaining a reputation. They balance their routines with equal parts of dancing, cheering and stunting.
The team is largely made up of freshman, eight total. The majority of girls on the squad cheered in high school, mostly with competitive teams. The Cabrini squad currently does not compete but they are working their way up to that level.
This season brought a lot of changes for the team. They recently received new mats, an essential element for stunting and tumbling. They also had to work with the new national regulations that were recently put into effect. In order to protect the girls safety, the new rules forbid stunts or tumbling to be done without mats. Clark said, “I’m glad these rules are in place. They’re meant to keep everyone safe.”
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