By Pat Tintle
Staff Writer
Not every sport gets the credit it deserves.
The typical college fan can overlook certain sports, and cheerleading is no exception.
The St. Bonaventure cheerleading squad may not have the attention of the basketball team they support at each game, but the squad does have the hard workers and the dedicated leaders to deserve a great amount of respect.
Prior to the start of the Bonnies’ basketball season, the cheerleaders could be found in the Reilly Center four times a week. Their workouts include a variety of stunts ranging from jumps, arm motions and gymnastic-like stretching. A spotter is always present in case of injury in the both dangerous and demanding workouts.
According to junior Bobbi Hassett, the workouts can reach a high level of intensity.
“We are all truly dedicated to what we do,” Hassett said. “Each workout, we try and target a different part of our body. For example, one night would be for our arms to give us strength to throw each other in the air, and in another, we would target our abs to work on our core strength.”
Even in a non-Division I sport, Hassett said she is always looking to her teammates for help and support.
“The workouts can be intense,” Hassett said. “But we all stay there encouraging one another until the last girl pulls through with a strong finish.”
Although the primary job of a cheerleader is to invoke team spirit into the crowd (and also the team that is playing), other duties come with putting on the ribbons and bows. The cheerleaders act as role models to the young girls in attendance who otherwise would have little interest in the games.
“Little girls who attend each game with their parents come up to us asking for pictures because they look up to us,” Hassett said. “So we are not only cheerleaders, but we are role models.”
While most of the crowd is focusing their attention on the 10 men, one ball and two hoops, the adolescent girls in the stands are watching their heroines hard at work. The cheerleading squad is demonstrating what a team effort is truly about; a theme anyone can admire.
In engaging its young, female audience, the squad has set up cheerleading camps for the community surrounding the university. The squad teaches dances, stunts and cheers to participants, with the proceeds going toward new uniforms. The cheerleaders are not only aware of their school, but also of the community that supports it, according to Hassett.
The cheerleading squad does not forget its fans.
“It is our job to bring out the spirit in the fans because it’s not only us, but the fans that make the Bonaventure atmosphere truly amazing,” Hassett said.
Basketball games are a huge part of the Bonaventure experience, but next time you are watching the Brown and White run up and down the court, remember there is another Bonaventure team working hard to make its school proud.
“Being a cheerleader in the Bonaventure community is an honor to each of us,” Hassett said. “Not only do we work hard in practice, but outside of practice, we still have to be role models to the community.”
