Competitive Cheer Team kicks into action with new season
“Do it!”
Said Kaitlyn Caiarelli, Captain of the Competitive Cheer Team, and Sarah Reif, returning cheer team member, when asked what some advice could be for those interested in joining the team.
Conditioning and practice sessions last several hours and the cheer team holds them at least three times a week to formulate a routine they can take to competitions. Their efforts offer the possibility that the competitive cheer team will place with their routines at the national competition held in Daytona, Florida this year.
“We can’t predict what will happen on the mat, but we can do our best to prepare the routine itself.” the Competitive Cheer Team Captain said.
An understanding that their efforts may not make the impact they want, but that they will do everything in their power to perform to their best ability can be seen.
As each athletic season ends, a new one begins and a welcome dinner is hosted to introduce and make all the new members interact with each other to form new relationships between members.
“I see them all come together and support each other when they are trying something new, when they are going for something, in this past year we had something with one of our coaches when she became sick, and it was nice seeing the support of the team.” said, Point Park University Competitive Cheer & Dance Head Coach, Bettina Harold.
After a couple weeks of introductions, physical practices start to occur. At first, the team practices basic combinations that are the building blocks to choreographing a routine. Their first event this year was Point Park’s homecoming weekend at the Pirate's game held at PNC Park on September 29th. The team will do small combinations of choreography to ease their way into the season, because the following weeks are choreography time.
The team brings in outside choreographers to help produce the routines for the competition season. Once they complete their choreography on December 10th, the team does a Fall Showcase later that same day to show their hard work to family and friends.
Now that season has officially started the team will not only perform at Regional and National competitions across the country, starting December 16 of this year, but will perform at all home basketball games and campus performances, including their own pep rally and showcases.
With each competition or event that occurs, the team will identify their mistakes and let each other know what to fix. Each competition provides every team with a score sheet based on their performance. The cheer team will use this score to help their choreography move forward so that the national performance in April is the best that it can be.
As Harold, Point Park University Cheer & Dance Head Coach said when asked to give advice for those interested in joining, “Don’t be afraid of thinking that it is too much or that you are not enough, we find the best in everyone and we are not focused just on winning, but the overall experience and how we feel in the end.”
