Cheering for your college is so much more than just being on the College Nationals Mat.
It has been a LONG while since I was in uniform on that cheer floor, but the memories feel like yesterday. When you cheer in college, you learn what it’s like to really be committed to your school. Not only do you cheer at games, but you are a representative of the entire school at a variety of events.
As I write this, I am watching the 2022 Beanpot Men’s Hockey championship game. While I never cheered at a hockey game, because when I was in college, Northeastern University (NU) had a hockey cheerleading team, I always enjoyed attending the hockey games and especially the Beanpot. I don’t believe NU has a separate hockey cheerleading team anymore, yet I was excited to see the team cheering from the stands.
Cheerleading has changed a LOT since 1990, yet the core of what we cheerleaders do has not been lost. It’s just been added to: cheer games; attend school events; support the other teams; fundraise for your own team and for the school; compete at your own competitions.
As cheerleading makes it’s way into the realm of other sports, I hope we don’t lose our history, but I also hope that the world recognizes how hard school based cheerleaders work on their own craft while also helping cheer on other sports.
Sadly, my team lost the game, but man it was fun to watch and reminded me how much love I still have for the world of cheer and most of all, my alma mater.