GA’s cheerleaders have recently focused their efforts on becoming recognized as a necessary piece of GA spirit. With new coaches, Amber LoPiccolo and Andrea Clendaniel, and eight new cheerleaders this fall, the team has shown great promise. As Jamie Kaminsky ’09, co-captain, said, “We have such a young squad this year, so of course our stunts aren’t anything fancy, but there’s lots of potential.” Thanks to the leadership of the new coaches, the new girls are learning quickly.
The coaches bring a heightened level of personal experience to the team. Amber was named a Keystone State Cheerleading Association All-American Cheerleader, and Andrea was on her college’s All- Star Adult Competition squad for two years.
While the squad’s season started late, the girls are now up and running. At a recent home game, a fan expressed how glad he was that the cheerleaders had been at the game, cheering GA’s football players on. The coaches feel that although thespectators have been supportive, greater student attendance would be even better.
What is the team hoping for this year? As Sara Engleman ’10 puts it: “Respect!” Co-captain Carly Lipkin ’09 agreed, saying “We are not a joke because [cheerleading is] actually something we work hard at.” Jamie Kaminsky feels that people don’t understand that “We work and practice so hard. We put in so much time. We sweat and get
injured [too].”
The cheerleaders feel that the main way the squad will earn team recognition is through respect. The squad works hard at cheering for the football and basketball players and energizing the school during the PC rally. The cheerleaders are looking for crowd participation when cheering at the games.
All the cheerleaders would love for the cheerleading squad to become a sport, rather than a club, at GA, but this cannot happen without the appreciation and participation of the rest of the student body.