“To show people that this is not a short-skirted prissy team, we sweat and work our asses off – sometimes we leave with black eyes, bruised arms, and feeling like we’re dying, but then we come back and do it again; we don’t just wear skirts and look pretty,” first-year Ashley Kangarloo said.

Kangarloo is a member of Guilford’s 14-person cheerleading team, the first cheerleading group on campus in over a decade.
“If you look back in the year books, school spirit was at a high. We had cheerleaders, a band, and everyone showed up for games. Now, you look around and all you see are a few parents and students who leave after first half,” Kangarloo said.

“It’s a fun vibe,” said sophomore cheerleader Leslie Bennett. “I’ve been a cheerleader since the sixth grade; it’s my passion.”
Since its inception last semester, the team has made considerable progress, including taking on Human Resources Generalist Keisha Chapman as a coach. “I was hesitant at first, but the campus can expect great things [from this team],” Chapman said.

Another of the team’s successes was swelling their ranks from 10 women in November to 14 this spring, taking on four dedicated men who help the cheerleaders.

From practicing up to five times a week, according to junior Jennifer Collins, the team has toned down their work-outs to Monday and Wednesday practices from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.
“This will definitely intensify,” Chapman said.

Chapman’s goals for the team’s future include increasing the number of student participants – as she puts it, “my main goal is making sure the college knows we exist. ”To that end, the cheerleaders are having a showcase April 25.

Another hope of Chapman’s, and one other team members share, is competing nationally. “We all have a goal to one day soon compete with other cheer teams,” Kangarloo said.

This group of students has come a long way from the enthusiastic, but unfocused, efforts of a few women to bring school spirit back to Guilford. They have a bright future on campus.