Cheer Audtions Begin for Spring 2009
December 15, 2008. CCSF Webwriter
Cheer auditions for spring 2009 cheer team will be as follows:
Monday, January 12th & Wednesday, January 14th
2-4 PM in Aerobics Room, Wellness 2nd Floor
Rams cheerleaders bring it on
March 12, 2008. The Guardsman, Karen Kinney
They thrust their red and white pom-poms skyward with clever cheers, dance in perfect sync and cheer the Rams to victory. The cheerleaders, who like to call themselves athletes, are becoming a bona fide professional dance squad, pumping spirit into spectators at City College's basketball and football games.
The squad started as a small student club in 2001. They did their own fund raising, paid for their own uniforms and drove themselves to all away games.
Faculty adviser and dance instuctor Paula Plessas said Vice Chancellor of Student Development Mark Robinson discovered the cheerleaders talent after the football and basketball teams became state champions. Robinson advocated reclassifying the squad as a class to receive athletic department funding.
"The squad was no differnt than our athletes. They showed their dedication by holding practice and going to all the home and away games," Robinson said.
Plessas, who taught hip hop in South Bronx, N.Y. and at the University of San Francisco, took over the squad last fall.
Plessas said she is trying to creat a performance-driven squad while highlighting their cultural diversity.
"The skill level is there," Plessas said. "My hope is add another layer by improving our stunts, techniques and choreography."
Three members of this 14-women squad are snap shot of the group's diversity.
Head cheerleader Kecia Johnson, 23, was the only girl on her high school football team, but never played.
Instead, she drove into gymnastics and modern jazz dance and has been on the squad for a year.
"My goal for the squad is for us to earn respect," Johnson said. "I want to motivate the squad while I'm here and make it a good program."
Despite her lack of formal training, Emmy Diep, 28, heard great things about the dance and PE program. Plessas said Diep works hard to maintain high standards and uphold tradition.
"There is something sacred about holding on to a classic American tradition like cheerleading," Diep said. "Cheerleading takes us back to real American values."
Rachel Simpson, 18, credited cheerleading for saving her life. Divorce shuffled Simpson through three home and mutiple schools. Cheerleading offered a support system and family-like environment.
"Cheerleading brought me back from falling off the edge and going down the wrong track of life," Simpson said. "It brought back my spirit."
Plessas said it is important to allow cheerleaders' self expression. She incorporates freestyle into their routines and believes in having a balanced squad.
The common goal of this dynamic squad is to remove the stigma of being a cheerleader. Plessas said a solid ethic will help theses girls in the future.
"Cheerleading is a combination of discipline, team work, commitment and trust - these are the ingredients for a successful squad."
