The cheerleading team held try outs this week, April 5 to 7.
Fifteen women were accepted by the team and they are anticipating a few more additions from the freshman class, according to junior Natalie Clore, cheerleading president.
Clore said the women participated in a three-day tryout process. They learned hip-hop choreography, a sideline cheer, the fight song dance, and a kickline on the first two days and then tried out in front of a panel of judges on the last day.
“We have impartial judges to prevent this from being a popularity contest,” said senior Angela Pearsall, cheerleading captain. “A lot of girls were interested.”
Staff Assistant for Admission Margaret Braman is their faculty adviser and head coach, while Molly Shreffler leads their cheer camps at the end of the summer and has plenty of cheerleading experience.
Pearsall explained that all members of the team re-tryout each year to prove themselves.
“This season, we have eight returning squad members and seven new additions,” Clore said. “We are very excited to continue to add new talent to our team.”
Over the past season, the team has incorporated more dance into their routines. Freshman Valerie Oresko, cheer team member, said she never cheered in high school, but had dance experience. Pearsall has the same background.
They’ve started doing halftime shows at the men’s basketball games, shifting toward more dance.
“Dance is something we have here,” Pearsall said.
Before basketball season, the cheer team performs at all home football games. They also perform at the Homecoming bonfire. They make posters and pre-game treats for the women’s basketball team.
Cheerleading takes a lot of endurance, according to Pearsall. They will start conditioning practices soon to acquaint the new team with each other and inform them what exercise they need to do over the summer to get in shape. During cheer season, they practice two to three days a week, Cole said.
“This is a great way to get exercise while having fun and express yourself,” Oresko said. “It is a great feeling to amaze people. In general, people look down on cheerleaders, but when you bust out something impressive, it is awesome to feel that respect and wow the audience.”
Clore said the cheerleading squad is a fantastic way to support Charger Athletics. She said Hillsdale’s campus is filled with Charger pride, and the cheerleading team helps boost school spirit even more.
“It is great to go out and pump up a crowd when there are three minutes left on the clock and we are about to beat Grand Valley,” Pearsall said. “Cheerleading is more than waving pom poms.”