The Ursinus Cheerleading Team has become a club as opposed to a club sport. To learn more, I sat down with Teresea Nadeau ‘25, one of three captains of the cheerleading team, as well as a psychology and music major.
In regards to how this came about, Nadeau says that in around July of this summer, the two coaches of the cheerleading team quit. This came after the team was headed by a series of temporary coaches. The opportunity to have a new temporary coach was presented by the school, but the team declined, not looking for a temporary solution. Since the cheer team may have some potential involvement in choosing who will lead them, Nadeau says that they would like to find someone who is going to stick around, for “an extended amount of time.” During the search for a more permanent coach, Nadeau and her fellow captains Gabriella Price ‘25 and Gianna McCarthy ‘25 stepped up for the task of creating choreography and teaching routines.
The lack of a coach means that the team cannot perform cheerleading stunts, which are manuevers where cheerleaders are lifted into the air, due to the liability risks. However, Nadeau highlights that this has given the team the opportunity to have a lot more cheers in the line up, and that it is “still a good season.” The leadership of the three captains is especially impressive, considering how late they received the news of their coach quitting. This meant no summer cheerleading camp and essentially just jumping into action at the beginning of the semester. Despite this, Nadeau expresses another positive aspect, which is that the environment is lower-stress and lower-stakes. “I want everyone to feel comfortable, and I feel like I can actually impact that,” says Nadeau.
The change has also fostered a sense of community and democracy amongst members, giving them the ability to collectively debrief on what they can do better. “We look to make everyone comfortable,” expressed Nadeau. “This is a team…this is a family.” In fact, the decision to be coachless for the rest of the season was left not only up to the captains, but also to the members who agreed it would be best for the present.
Despite the club taking a series of big losses, they show no sign of slowing down. They have adapted and overcome, especially killing it at Homecoming! We are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds for them!