Thursday, September 22, 2011

What is a Cheerleader?

When you think of a cheerleader, you may picture a girl with her long, blonde hair hanging down, a sweater with a megaphone, saddle shoes, and pom pom socks.  The pom poms she's holding in her hands are probably larger than her head, and she may be talking to the captain of the football team. 

Is this the image you get in your head?  If, yes--you are clearly mistaken.  That woman is the cheerleader of the past.

Ask any cheerleader today, and they will tell you that the amount of work she (or he!) puts in is just as much, if not MORE, than any other athlete.  Currently on Kingston, we have several girls who also participate on lacrosse, track, softball, field hockey, and soccer who will tell you that our warm-ups and conditioning exercises are just as, if not more, difficult than other sports.  We sweat, bruise, and bleed just as much as any football player.  We are athletes. 

When we are at football and basketball games, and other sporting events, we are there to support our team, school and community.  The skills that we exhibit at these games are what we work on at practices, and in a sense, serve as "practices" for our competitions.  The amount of hard work and dedication that goes in to creating a great, clean, and safe routine is endless.  Our athletes don't life weights, they lift people.  When they execute a jump, it has to be with such precision and synchonization.  And no matter how sore, tired, or broken they may feel, they need to keep a smile on their face and show how PROUD they are of their team, their coach, and themselves. 

There is some exciting talk in New York State right now about cheerleading actually becoming recognized as a sport.  At the college level, there is already a new sport titled "Stunt I" and "Stunt II" which combines cheerleading and gymnastics skills and schools compete against one another with a defined set of regulations.  We at KHS are lucky that Athletic Director Glen Maisch treats us like a sport, where we follow the same rules and must meet the same expectations of any other team. 

The next time you think of a cheerleader, think about what we REALLY are and what we REALLY represent.  Do your research.  Talk to a cheerleader.  Talk to a coach.  Listen to what cheerleading is in the year 2011.  The stereotypical popular, blonde, provocative cheerleader is OUT and the cheereading athlete is IN!

Cheerfully yours,

KHS CHEER *\0/*

Monday, September 19, 2011

KHS LOVES UCA!

This summer, we entered a contest to be featured on the Universal Cheerleaders Association website and guess what?  We won!  Follow the link below to check out our article and find out more about our summer camp/competition experience!


Cheerfully yours,


KHS CHEER *\0/*

http://www.varsity.com/event/1464/art/799/2011_uca_camps.aspx

Friday, September 9, 2011

A Cheerful Summer!

The Kingston High School Varsity cheerleaders returned from the Universal Cheerleaders' Association cheerleading camp at Southern Connecticut State University and brought with them several awards.  They were awarded 3rd place in the cheer, 2nd place in the extreme routine, and 2nd place in the home pom (dance) optional competition.  Additionally, they were awarded with the superior trophy, which gives them the opportunity to cheer at the Capitol Bowl with cheerleaders from across the country, and also the prestigious leadership award, which is voted on by the nearly 200 other cheerleaders at the camp rather than the staff.  The team also earned the "Top Banana" spirit award 2 of the 3 nights they were at camp.  Aside from team honors, there were several individual winners.  Captains Zia-Ne Williams and Mackenzie Goodrich were both recognized as UCA All-American cheerleaders, and this gives them the opportunity to cheer at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and in London.  Williams and Senior Kimberly Boice (who made it into the semi-finals of the jump-off) were also recruited by the UCA staff to tryout for a position in early 2012.  The KHS Varsity cheerleaders are currently ranked 5th in the nation with UCA and  the American School Spirit Awards, and first in the northeast.  Also on the summer competition team are seniors Jessica Reposa and Ricki Maggiore, juniors Brianna Egan, Aimee Bauer, and Melanie Hoffay, sophomores Megan Hoffay, Hatherley Tucker, Molly Gaffney, Tatiana Rodriguez, and Taylor Roberti, and freshman Alex Boudreau. 

We've Got Things To Cheer About!

Welcome to your Kingston Cheer Connection, for all things cheerleading!  Not only will this blog support our program and other athletic programs at Kingston High School, but we hope to share the "cheerful" happenings in and around our community, as well as spread knowledge of the sport (yes, we said SPORT) of cheerleading.  Check back regularly for all the latest and greatest news!


Cheerfully yours,


KHS CHEER *\0/*