Corinne Wittig
Staff Writer
Almost any college athlete could probably agree that with the start of a new season comes great anticipation and a lot of the unexpected. For the North Central College cheer and dance team, their season’s unexpected happens to be a multitude of changes and new additions for both teams.
Cheer, dance, mascots, and several coaches make up the spirit program here on campus and for them the season has only just begun. Kaitlyn Talley co-captain of the cheer team says, “When I am explaining the cheer team and even the program as a whole, I like to break our complete year down into three different parts. There is the first part of our season which is football, then there’s basketball, and finally we conclude with our “own” season. In this segment of the year, we compete against other colleges in Daytona Beach, this is our nationals.”
Although the spirit program has various different focuses, they currently chose to dedicate their time to one main objective and that is to create a game day environment that encourages athletes do their personal best while engaging the crowd so they too can encourage those on the field or court. In order to succeed at this particular end goal, cheer, dance, and the mascots must work cohesively and prepare for every game in advance.
“Both cheer and dance started the season early this year with summer practices and home and away camps. I think as a program we all agreed that we really want to start the year, to start football season on the right foot. We worked on putting together stuff that not only displays the talent and skill we have on each time, but also stuff that will excite the crowd,” explains Megan Byrom, a senior and veteran on the cheer team.
For the spirit program preparation was also key because of the many changes that have been implemented in the past year or so. Tierra Thompson spirit director and head coach of cheer, dance, and mascot says, “I believe we implemented the majority of the changes last year. We will definitely have our cheer, dance, and mascot alumni to come back and perform at homecoming. We will be supporting the football as well as men’s and women’s basketball team’s both in regular and post season as well as attend events on campus. Lastly, we will be competing locally and we will be attending nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida. Prior to leaving we will host a showcase to allow our family, friends, and fans that won’t be traveling with us to see the choreography we plan to compete with. It is an especially exciting time for us in the season because we will be competing and attending nationals for a second year in a row”.
In addition to the changes mentioned above, the program change welcomes a number of new members. “A highlight so far would have to be the size of the team; it is really nice to see our program grow and see a high number of rookies on the team,” mentions Erica Malloy, a sophomore and veteran on the dance team.
The program also added two new assistant coaches, Elizabeth Shulman (cheer) and Ariana Rosado (dance) to help the spirit teams get ready for games and competitions. However, with new additions also come struggles as well. “The most difficult part of any season is trying to help people understand the concept of both cheer and dance. Unlike other sports/activities, there is no spontaneity in cheer or dance routines, but the same concentration is needed,” says Thompson.
Overall, both members and coaches alike are looking forward to both the ups and downs that approache. Assistant coach Elizabeth Shulman shares, “I feel great about the season so far. I feel like we are heading in the direction that we want to go. I feel like our look and our skills are heading in the direction that Coach Tierra and I foresee for both teams”.
For more information on the spirit programs, contact Tierra Thompson at tierranccspirit@gmail.com.
