The Beginning
What is cheerleading?
Cheerleading is a sport where a group of individuals organize specialized stunts, dances, routines, and chants which are performed to motivate sports teams. Not only are cheer teams able to motivate the teams, they also encourage school spirit, increasing school culture.
When you watch old movies from the 90’s, you see a cheer team because cheerleading has been around since the 19th century. The first cheerleading event happened in 1989 at the University of Minnesota, where the team cheered for their school’s football team. Although recent cheerleading teams mostly consist of women, when cheerleading first started it was mainly a male dominated sport.
With Great Risk, Comes Great Rewards
While cheerleading is a very popular and exciting sport, it is also very dangerous. There have been many cases where people have gotten injured due to the stunts and jumps that cheerleading requires them to do.
Cheerleaders are prone to injuries such as: concussions, bruising, and swelling. Although these accidents could happen to anyone, there are ways to avoid them. Activities like stretching, balance training, and core training can help a cheerleader avoid these injuries.
Each year, there are over 35,000 cheerleading related injuries.
First Ever Squad at ICSA
ICSA has always had the conventional sport teams such as football, basketball, and volleyball. We have never had a cheer team, so a few of our students, staff, and parents decide to start one for the 2024-2025 school year. The founder of this team, Heather Boulware, says that she started this team for her daughter, one of the participating cheerleaders.
Boulware explained that she wanted to give her daughter a place where she could feel comfortable and be herself. “What I didn’t expect was, how much others would love it too!” This goes to show how much of a safe place the cheer squad has created for themselves.
Student Voices
Sofia Breece and Alexia Paladino, the two captains, helped Heather Boulware make her daughter’s dreams come true. Alexia and Sofia were picked as captains due to their leadership skills by Mrs. Seretti, the Assistant Cheer Coach.
“I’m really happy that ICSA has a cheer team, because I personally love cheer and dance. I also feel like it (cheerleading) gives us a chance to collaborate and make friends with people in different grades.”
– Sofia Breece, Grade 7
Breece expresses how everyone in her team is easy to work with, and how working with her co-captain, Alexia Paladino, makes it much easier.
“The best part about coaching this team is that they are all supportive,” says Alexia.
This accentuates how much the team has been able to create a stronger bond between the girls.
Moving Forward
ICSA would like to continue with cheer, but they are looking for a new coach for next year. If you are interested or know of anyone interested, please contact Gimena Segovia, our Athletic Director.
