Bancroft Nicholson – Contributor
After not having a season last year, the university cheerleading team is gearing up for their first competitive events in almost two years.
On Friday, they held the first of three tryout days, hoping to add new talent to their already talented veteran squad.
At first, the returners led by captains Shania Fleeting and Dominique Dickenson stretched and warmed up while going through a couple of routines.
Then the tryout hopefuls started to file in for the beginning of tryouts. At the beginning of the tryouts, they were led by the captains in stretches and warmups before Coach Angie Alston explained what the day of tryouts would hold.
During tryouts, the returners taught them cheers and chants they would have to learn to be able to be on the team. Some of the veteran cheerleaders performed the routines with them step by step to make sure they got it down pat while other returners were around to watch and see if anything was done wrong so they could point it out and correct whoever needed help.
Attention to detail was key during tryouts. The returners made sure to point out everything done wrong because whether it be hand placement or footwork every motion counts.
After running through the cheers and chants, the group split up. Some returners worked on
tumbling with some of the hopefuls while others kept going over the routines with anyone who still needed help with them.
To finish up the first day of tryouts, everyone went through the chant and cheers again before Coach Alston explained what they would be working on for the next two days.
Although this team is in rebuilding mode after having to sit out for basically two years, there is a sense of excitement and a lot of goals for this upcoming season.
“I’m really excited, the past two seasons got taken away from me due to Covid, so this is my last season. I’m just really excited to rebuild this program and see what the SCSU Cheer could bring,” said Dickenson.
“I’m pretty excited since we have a chance to go to nationals, I’m excited to work on the number one thing I wanted to work on like tumbling and now that I’m a captain showing leadership to my team,” said Fleeting.
Coach Angie Alston had this to say, “I’m excited that we have a lot of potential new cheerleaders coming in and hopefully we’re going to rebuild this program the way we want it and go to nationals for game day like we planned.”
This team has a big year ahead of them. They are trying to rebuild their program and also go to nationals. One thing to help them get there other than their talent is something important to them. Their bond with each other.
“I’m just really excited to get the new team together, you know team bond, get us all close and see what we are capable of this year,” said returner and by now co-captain Bianka McDougal. “I would like for us all to be close, my teammates, that’s always good because that helps with spirit building, working at games and competing and all that. So, I would love to just have a successful year and be happy.”
“The best thing about being a cheerleader is the spirit part. Sometimes you get people who are introverts and cheerleading is probably the only thing that makes them be extroverts and become a whole different person because they’re comfortable in the environment that we have,” said captain Shania Fleeting.
“Past teams that I’ve been on we were very connected, we try to bond with each other to a point where we feel like we’re family so just coming to that environment and away from everything else makes it feel very exciting to be a part of another family aside from our actual family.”
