The cheer team poses in their uniforms of long sleeves and leggings in their dress room filled with basketball equipment
Maya Henderson/ The Bona Venture
hendermr20@bonaventure.edu
BY: HADLEY THOMPSON, NEWS EDITOR
“We are dissatisfied with our position in this school,” Maya Henderson, a back spot and junior political science major, said. “I think that it’s about getting the attention to say that there is a problem we should address.”
Members of the St. Bonaventure University cheerleading team said that they feel like the cheer team does not have the correct uniforms, equipment or respect to better represent their school.
Mariah Carriero, a cheer captain and senior education major, said that even recognizing cheer as a sport at Bonaventure is controversial.
“My close friends or friends that define myself and my team as athletes are always shocked when we tell them that we are not recognized as a sport,” Carriero said.
Carriero calls herself an athlete either way.
“We do not gain anything from doing this at the end of the day. It really is for our pure enjoyment and love for the sport,” Carriero said. “SGA [the Student Government Association] wasn’t even aware that we weren’t considered a club, we’re just kind of lost in it all.”
Carriero said that the events in Washington D.C last season showed how much the school cares for cheerleading.
On March 14, at the Atlantic 10’s men’s basketball tournament, a Saint Louis Billikens player yelled obscenities at one of the members of Bonaventure’s cheerleading team.
“We didn’t really understand that it was a big deal. We had no idea that it was recorded or that it was going to blow up on Twitter,” Henderson said.
After the incident, Henderson noticed that the team became divided. Some members of the team wanted to advocate the issue themselves, while others wanted Bonaventure to speak on behalf of the team.
“We regrettably saw that they didn’t handle it,” Henderson said.
Henderson said the team feels as though the media platforms that broadcasted the incident did not consider how much it would hurt the team.
Seth Johnson, the senior associate athletic director for external operations, said that there were multiple discussions and extensive interviews with the coach and team members after what happened.
“Although we can’t control the actions of others, we are confident that we have prepared as much as possible for any future incidents,” Johnson said.
Carriero, like Henderson, said she feels that the university could have handled the situation better.
“There is a reason why we were so upset after the D.C. situation because there were so many underlying factors that weren’t addressed,” Henderson said.
Carriero said that since Bonaventure and Saint Louis are not from D.C., nothing happened. A Title IX Coordinator can only take action in the area that they cover.
“They told us that we would have to reach out to the Title IX coordinator of where the game took place,” Carriero said. “It just seemed so far-fetched. How are you not responsible for your own students’ actions?”
The cheer team performed in leggings and long-sleeve shirts at Wednesday’s scrimmage.
Henderson said that the uniforms are dangerous.
“Leggings are very long, slim and dry-fit,” Henderson said. “There’s a reason why cheerleaders don’t wear pants. Pants are slippery and you can’t hold onto people’s legs.”
She said that most of the team is scared to stunt in these clothes, which in turn makes more mistakes.
“It’s dangerous to have slippery pants when you’re stunting and throwing girls in the air. Grips are on thighs, grips are on everywhere; all over your legs,” Henderson said.
The first time that the team stunted in these uniforms was on Wednesday.
“We did not even have an opportunity to practice in our uniforms before we went out for the first game,” Henderson said.
Johnson said that the design and ordering of new uniforms have been in the works since June. The long-sleeve shirts and leggings are placeholders for the uniforms ordered.
“Due to supply chain delays, the new uniforms will not arrive in time for the first couple of games,” Johnson said. “However, we have made arrangements with Adidas to outfit our team for those games in proper attire.”
Carriero’s mother made tank tops for the team to wear at Fan Jam. The team paired the top with a pair of black shorts they already had. She said that the team asked why they could not wear that outfit.
“Some people think that our shorts are too short,” Carriero said. “That I can understand, but there are also teams like track and swim that wear more revealing uniforms than what those were.”
Henderson said that if Bonaventure felt serious about their cheer team, the handling of their needs to practice would be done differently.
The cheer team currently has four mats.
Carriero said that the school has been reluctant to answer this need.
“Which when it comes to stunting, those are fine. Pyramids, not so much. For tumbling, we can do that but we have to have someone hold it so that it does not slide,” Carriero said.
Carriero said that cheerleaders need to practice doing full tumbling sets.
“We have pretty much been begging – at least since I was a freshman – for a full-size mat, just one,” Carriero said.
Johnson mentioned that the ordered mats for the team are also running late due to supply chain issues.
“We expect those mats to arrive on campus very soon,” Johnson said.
Carriero and Henderson said that they understand the demands of other sports and clubs on campus but it does not excuse their lack of resources.
“Seth has things going on, he is out there setting up the whole Reilly Center. I don’t blame him at all,” Henderson said. “If anything it is a perfect example of how unprioritized this sport is.”
Henderson said that the members of the team have noticed the facilities that the men’s basketball team uses versus the room that the cheer team uses for games.
“It’s a desolate room with no blinds for anyone to change, no sink or bathroom to get ready in,” Henderson said. “There isn’t even a mirror. It is also filled with basketball equipment.”
Henderson said that the cheerleaders are just as visible as the basketball players.
“There’s like 5,000 seats in the RC, so many people see us. It seems like a slap in the face,” Henderson said.
This is Carriero’s sixteenth year of cheerleading.
“I have been doing it my whole life pretty much and this program here at St. Bonaventure has been one of the toughest to gain respect [for the team] within and from everyone else,” Carriero said.
Carriero mentioned that at one of the basketball games, last year, where all of the scholar-athletes were called down to be celebrated. She said the cheerleaders stood on the sidelines.
“It was honestly embarrassing because people don’t necessarily know that we aren’t considered a sport so we would not get that recognition. But it also just made us feel unseen because we all get very good grades and are athletic,” Carriero said. “I just wish we could be included because we work equally as hard as a lot of these other sports teams.”
Carriero said Bonaventure does not offer sports scholarships for cheer.
“I didn’t commit here for cheer. I wasn’t scouted,” Carriero said. “It was just something that when I came here I knew the school had available.”
Carriero said that she hopes to see more of the cheer team at Bonaventure after she leaves.
“I think that a push to become a competitive team, rather than just game day, would be phenomenal. I would love to see them compete,” Carriero said. “I know more respect would come of this.”
Carriero said that athletes should see their sport as something to look forward to.
Henderson has pushed for the cheer team – which is not recognized as a sport or club – to become a club sport.
“They have told me that I need to go to the head of a wider organization that would specify the amount of people that we need on the team and all of these different specifications,” Henderson said.
Henderson said she assumes that the wider organization would be the National Cheerleaders Association.
“I don’t think that number one, any of our cheerleaders have the time, and number two, that they have informed our coach about how to do this or even if we want to do this,” Henderson said. “I don’t personally think that they have any interest in pursuing cheerleading as a club… but it seems obvious that this isn’t working.”
Henderson said that the cheer team always shows its commitment no matter their recognition or accommodations.
“We always wore our masks in the Reilly when it seemed like no one else was. We are going regardless of the fact that we don’t have the right uniforms. But we are still going to show up because we care about our school and want to show our pride,” Henderson said.
Henderson said that she will continue to try to advance the cheer team to a more prominent level of importance on campus.
“It’s just not an experience we should be giving any of our athletes, even if we’re not considered athletes,” Henderson said. “I hope the one thing that we get from this is an ounce of respect.”
thompshp20@bonaventure.edu
