Collegiate Level Cheerleading Explained
“I like that you get to be a part of something much bigger than yourself.” -Claire Silverstein, Marquette University Cheerleader
Being placed in the spotlight in front of a crowd of almost 18,000 people is not a weekly occurrence for the average person, unless you are a collegiate cheerleader! At Marquette University, the cheerleading team is a coed squad that specializes in partner stunt and pyramids. As a member of the team, you are dedicated to cheering for Marquette’s basketball team and serving as a school ambassador. According to the official homepage of the Marquette University Cheer Team, “As a member of the Marquette spirit squad, you will become a part of a team that embodies the tradition that is Marquette University.” This responsibility coupled with the sheer amount of fans that flock to the BMO Harris Bradley Center every game, made me wonder what it is like to perform in front of so many people and carry the responsibility of acting as a school ambassador.
To wrap my head around the idea of being a collegiate level cheerleader, I interviewed one of Marquette’s very own, freshman Claire Silverstein. Claire is a first year student at Marquette majoring in International Relations. Just over six years ago, Claire got involved in cheerleading when her family moved from Ohio to Wisconsin. Claire’s desire to become a cheerleader was based on her ambition to try something new and create a new identity for herself in her new home at the age of 12. While she had no previous cheerleading experience, she had a gymnastics background which provided her soon to be competitive cheer team with valuable tumbling skills they needed.
While Claire was a cheerleader for a competitive team for her first years in the cheer world, she also cheered for her local high school. While she enjoyed high school cheer, her main passion was cheering “all-girl” (this means only women rather than coed) on a competitive cheer team. She had been involved in competitive cheer for her entire career preceding college. While this style of cheerleading is completely different from what she is experiencing right now at Marquette, competitive cheer prepared her for collegiate cheer in the sense that she was familiar with all different aspects of cheerleading such as acting as a base and a flyer.
“Competitive Cheer gave me the discipline and basic workings of cheer so I could apply it to college level cheer and my life as a whole. Practicing as a base gave me the perspective of a base, so when I fly, I can work with my stunt partner, rather than against them.” -Claire Silverstein, Marquette University Cheerleader
College cheer was a huge change for Claire and it definitely took some getting used to. Claire loves Marquette Cheerleading because of the team camaraderie like she experienced in competitive cheer. Claire also appreciates the sense of individuality gained when working with her stunt partner.
When asked, “How do game days make you feel?” Claire stated that she gets really excited on game days. Claire added that she doesn’t really get nervous on game days. The large crowds don’t really bother her due to her experience from cheering in front of large crowds when she cheered competitively. She feels very happy and comfortable to the point that she wishes game day were every day. Go, Marquette, Go!
