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Thursday, December 1, 2005
Collegiate Times
A
Don’t judge a Hokie cheerleader by the color of her hair
Rachel
Teitelbaum
It’s 30 degrees outside, but regardless of how cold it
is you must not show signs of weakness, or frostbite
for that matter. That little skirt and top number that
looks like it belongs to a Cabbage Patch doll really
isn’t providing any warmth, and the fact that it shows
skin, well, that doesn’t help either. Round-off with a
back handspring and full twisting lay out. It’s been
performed a million times before, don’t ... mess ... up.
With thousands of screaming Hokie fans all around, the
adrenaline kicks in — who needs Underarmor with that
kind of heat rush?
With displays of miraculous flexibility and gravitydefying stunts, the Virginia Tech cheerleading squad
makes quite an impact on fans and students.
While most people think cheerleaders are beautified
babes and guys with brains left on the sideline along
with tanning coupons and packs of Bubblicious, members of the Tech cheerleading squad far exceed their
stereotype. Majors range from civil engineering to psychology to industrial systems engineering — certainly
not the academic aptitude portrayed in “Bring It On”
and other similar movies.
“Many people think we’re dumb, we don’t practice
ever and we’re a waste of time. It’s difficult to get past
a lot of the dumb-blonde cheerleader stereotypes that
people have,” said Anne Moore, senior sociology major
and member of the Virginia Tech varsity cheerleading
team.
Many members of the squad also participate in other
organizations, some holding executive positions in
those organizations and having to find time to balance
their schoolwork on top of everything.
“We start in August and we finish in April once we’re
done with tryouts for Nationals. Once we’re done with
Nationals they have nothing but classes and their other
organizations and they find that they’re lost,” said Head
Spirit Coach Rickey Hill. “Having cheerleading practice
and games along with everything else helps them balance their schedule out.
“For some of them it is hard, especially for people who
are hardcore engineering majors and people that get
into their junior or senior year. For the most part they all
seem to balance everything very well,” he said.
During football season, practice is held twice a week,
with each session lasting three hours. If a home football
game is scheduled on Saturday they will also practice
the Friday prior to the game for about an hour to sort
out odds and ends. Along with these practices, all
cheerleaders must attend mandatory weightlifting ses-
PHOTOS BY NED GEARING/SPPS
The Virginia Tech cheerleading squad practices a routine Wednesday night. Varsity cheerleader
Anne Moore (right) maneuvers a stunt during the three-hour long practice.
sions every Tuesday and Thursday, just like any other
varsity athlete. Hill does not supervise the weightlifting,
but the cheerleaders are expected to complete their
workouts.
“I don’t believe that I have to see them everyday to
make them look good because there’s more to life than
cheerleading, they’re here to get an education,” Hill
said.
While practice may seem time consuming, team
members find it to be a sort of escape from homework
and other things going on in their lives.
“Overall, I look forward to practice, it’s kind of like
hanging out with all of your friends and doing something you’re good at,” Moore said.
Being a Virginia Tech cheerleader
certainly has its perks. “We get a free
trip to Jacksonville this weekend. I
haven’t bought a single article of
Virginia Tech clothing until this
year, not to mention we get the
best seat in the house,” said
Zach Wheeler, a senior
civil
engineering
major and varsity
cheerleader.
Often
spotted
hanging out with the cheerleaders,
the Hokie Bird says the cheerleaders are
a fun group and spends lots of time with
them between football and basketball season traveling to away games.
“They are always very cooperative and
willing to help me out with skits. The guys
will lift me up for pushups when I want and
the girls are always good sports about letting
me pick them up and carry them around. It’s
good for my image — makes me look strong,”
the Hokie Bird said.
Of course, viewing victories on the field right
next to the players is quite an experience.
“One of my favorite games was the Miami
game last year. We beat Miami in Miami
and fans just starting throwing sugar and
the players came over to us and grabbed
our flags and waved them around. It
was the most fun victory that we’ve
had. They were literally throwing sugar
around because we were going to the
Sugar Bowl,” Moore said.
As the players take the field and “Enter
Sandman” blasts through the stadium,
one word sums it up — intense.
“My favorite part is the entrance to the
games. I have fun at the big games, I love
being down there,” Wheeler said.
ESPN Gameday was a huge deal for Virginia Tech this
year, which received a great deal of publicity from the
coverage, not to mention the live national telecast. The
cheerleaders (of course) attended the event, debuting
their television stardom.
“This year at the ESPN Gameday filming for the Miami
game, I convinced the cheerleaders to pick me up so I
could crowd surf through the fans. It was an amazing experience but then they got fussed at for doing it — oops,”
the Hokie Bird said.
Along with cheering at games, the cheerleaders also
participate in competitions though these competitions
are not necessarily their first priority.
“Our biggest focus since I’ve been here is being more
so leaders and ambassadors for the university and for the athletic department
because that’s what we’re here for,” Hill
said.
“They’re not here to compete, (but) they
all want to compete and I want them to compete
too, but they have to do their job in the classroom
and they have community service projects they deal
with, as well as pep rallies, football games and
basketball games. They’re here during Thanksgiving break and
Christmas break.”
Where
a
strong rivalry exists
between
W e s t
Virginia and Virginia Tech fans, forcing
the
Hokie cheerleaders to leave with eight minutes left in
the fourth quarter — due to their safety potentially
endangered — cheerleaders from both universities
have a friendly relationship.
“Visiting cheerleading teams are always very nice
and friendly and we always try to be as friendly to
them as possible to make them feel comfortable.
At West Virginia the cheerleaders were awesome
— they even ordered us pizza,” Moore said.
The cheerleaders aren’t just a group of athletes; They’re also good friends, often having
team lunches at D2 and can be spotted at
Dietrick Express after practices.
While some of them may have blonde
hair and abs of steel, they are just like the
rest of us in that they’re here to earn a
degree and have a great time, both on and
off the field.
Rachel Teitelbaum is the associate features
editor for the Collegiate Times.