More than ten years after fading from the Guilford College athletics scene, a fixture in American college sports has returned to the campus.Cheerleaders.
Though they have not applied to Senate yet, the ten female-member team has already begun practicing routines at a feverish pace in preparation for upcoming sporting events.
“We have been practicing up to five times a week,” said junior Jennifer Collins. “We have even practiced on Saturdays.”
The team’s hard work has not gone unnoticed by administrators who have backed the team’s formation. “This is a story of a group of students coming to Leslie (Moss, the Associate Director of Student Activities and the First Year Program) and Randy (Doss, the Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Life) and saying we want to do this…[it’s an example of] students taking initiative,” Doss said.
The team has even taken the initiative to find its own coach. “We are actively looking for a coach,” junior member Lisa Southerland said.
Though they are not sure when it ended, cheerleading had been a fixture of Guilford athletics until disinterest in the program caused it to die out between ’88-’92, according to Moss and Doss. However, the new team is here to cheer and to make a mark in the Guilford community.
“There is such a huge divide between athletes and non-athletes,” said junior Lauren Ziegler. “We want to bridge the gap between [them].”
One swirl of controversy that may surround the team is the students who may see cheerleading as degrading to women. The team has already deflected that issue.
“It takes a lot of strength [to be a cheerleader],” said freshman Lauren Fox. “We’re not going to wear any skimpy uniforms. We just want to show support for our team.”
Administrators agree. “The students who work on this have a clear idea of what they want,” said Moss. “They don’t want to [be stereotyped]. They just want to bridge the gap between athletes and non-athletes.”
The team has even opened up cheerleading to men. “We are open to guys. We would love guys,” said Fox.
Whether or not cheerleading becomes a success at Guilford remains to be seen, but those close to the team commend their effort in the early process.
“They are trailblazers who can bring folks together and let people know about [the team],” said Doss. “The worst thing to do is squelch student initiative.”
Editor’s Note: The next cheerleading meeting will be held Sunday, Nov. 24, at nine P.M. in the shore lounge.