what is it like to be a male cheerleader

Welcome dorsum for Day two of the EPIC 4 Day INTERVIEW with Georgetown hero The Male person Cheerleader.  While Role 1's focus was The Male Cheerleader's upbringing and the path that led him to Georgetown, today we discuss cheerleading itself.  In case you missed it, here'due south yesterday's Function 1.  Onto Part two...

One Male Symbol.

Accept you always dropped anyone while doing a cheerleading formation?

I oasis't had any drops at a game, that I tin remember, so again I'd never try any stunts or tumbling at a game that I wasn't already pretty confident in. It likewise depends on what y'all mean by "dropped." Very rarely exercise girls just get dropped from a stunt and fall directly to the ground. That being said falls happen quite a bit, in fact one of the beginning things you're taught in cheerleading is how to fall and how to take hold of someone who is falling. Statistics show that cheerleading has the highest risk of catastrophic injury of any sport or able-bodied outcome, even college than football or rugby. That'southward partly due to the nature of what cheerleaders do and the number of people that are involved in every pyramid or stunt (no i sits the bench in cheerleading); there'south a lot of loftier speed, hard touch on maneuvering in all the jumping, tumbling, and stunting whether you lot're landing on the basis or in someone's arms by design or not. However, there are also a lot of safety precautions and rules that if followed eliminate a lot of the risks involved, making cheerleading a fairly prophylactic sport. All coaches are required to have safety certifications from the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators, a safety oversight torso that usually defers to caution when deciding what stunts to allow and such. For instance, at that place are different limitations for what yous tin do on a football game field versus what yous can do on a basketball court due to the risks the playing surfaces present.

Part 2 continues after The Jump:

What advice would you give to any young boy out there who wants to grow up to exist a Georgetown Academy male cheerleader?

I would tell him that he should be going to Georgetown for a lot more than than cheerleading. It's a great opportunity to get involved in the whole community, and if you only went to Georgetown to be a cheerleader you'd be doing yourself a disservice. Although many people knew me every bit "the male cheerleader," in my time at Georgetown I tried to use cheerleading to open up windows into an innumerable amount of activities, charity events, and other campus organizations including the Georgetown Style Show, the Caribbean area Culture Club's Date Auction for Haitian Charities, Rangila, New Student Orientation, Blue and Gray Bout Guides, and Grassroots Hoyas, just to name a few. I have no doubt that I was ofttimes viewed equally a cheerleader in those activities as well, but I was able to get in and beyond just getting people excited for basketball and football game games, even within that ane role. From purely a cheerleading perspective, there are a lot of perks to being i of only a few male cheerleaders on campus ranging from gratis workout apparel to just having people recognize you when you're on a date or out with friends, but cheerleading is also a big time commitment at a school similar Georgetown where there are few days without some kind of homework assignment, reading, or paper that has to be done. Beyond that you only need to beloved Georgetown to the cease, non to the bespeak that y'all're just a blind follower of all things Hoya and Saxa, but in that you're always committed to positively representing and promoting the University in everything you do, both in and out of uniform, in a mode that tries to make Georgetown better.

Are there whatever pregame rituals you or any of the other cheerleaders accept to psych yourselves up for a big game? What about an awful game?

Starting time off, there'due south no such thing equally an awful game for a cheerleader. You have to bring your "A game" to every pep rally, appearance, football game and basketball game game, because literally cheerleading puts someone in your hands and even a small slip upward can outcome in injury, or sheer embarrassment for yous and the rest of the team. As far as pregame rituals become, I have a routine that I stuck to with few adjustments since freshman year. Information technology started in my room the night before when I'd pack my game handbag with athletic tape, braces, water, throat lozenges, and water. I'd and then lay out my compatible much like Deion Sanders did during his NFL career, laying it out like in a body outline on the floor, everything from my uniform to the sweatbands and socks I wore to every game (for all four years I wore the same pair of sweatbands and aforementioned socks to every game). While I did all this I'd put the movie Gladiator on and always made sure to sentry at least the endmost scene from when Maximus is stabbed inside the bowels of the Coliseum to the beginning of the credits. On the forenoon of the game, I ever went to work at Senator Mary Landrieu's Office, where I worked throughout my college career as an intern, and full-fourth dimension staffer over the summertime. I started doing this when I first got the chore in Jan of freshman year considering I was eager to make a skillful impression at the office, but it soon just became part of my routine to get to the role put the coffee on, and get things set for whatsoever early on morning appointments or meetings before I'd either grab the Metro or simply walk to Verizon. As the years went by I started wearing my compatible into the office which really made it a bit humorous and fun to get to work, bringing a whole new take on casual Friday, occasionally information technology resulted in people with appointments seeing me at the game later that twenty-four hour period. I e'er made a point to stop by the line of fans that had gotten to Verizon early to get good seats in the educatee section. Usually I'd just say hi, talk about the game, and then make my mode into the press entrance. Within the arena, I went through a stretching and warm-upward routine that I'd done since my days as a high school football player, all the while listening to my pre-game playlist. The playlist had pretty typical pump up songs on it, annihilation from Rocky to the We Are Georgetown song that plays right before tip-off, but the last vocal I always listened to was Nelly'due south Centre of a Champion. At some point during my routine the rest of the team would usually arrive on the buses for the pep band and cheerleaders, and we'd start warming up our functioning, stunting, and tumbling for the mean solar day, afterwards which I'd suspension off from the group over again to go run the squad onto the courtroom with the big flag. Oddly plenty as a freshman more people referred to me equally "the flag guy" than "the male cheerleader." One of the newer parts of the routines involved the song "Forever" from, the Lebron James movie More Than a Game. The vocal became a part of the Verizon pre-game playlist this past year, and me and one of the other male cheerleaders would usually get pretty hyped at the opening line, "Last proper name Ever, first name Greatest." That pretty much brought me to tip-off, and by far the best part of the day.

Do the cheerleaders hang out together off the court? Is at that place any sort of no-dating policy amidst cheerleaders?

We become a pretty tightly knit grouping over the year, spending at to the lowest degree viii or so hours together each week at practise alone. Nosotros really commencement to see a lot of ane another when men's and women's basketball game get into full swing. We as well gather outside of cheerleading pretty regularly as a whole group probably well-nigh one time every two or iii weeks. Then inside our individual groups of friends we probably hang out every weekend. You simply tin't spend that much time with people and not make at least a few close friends. Although at that place isn't technically a no-dating policy among cheerleaders, at to the lowest degree in my feel information technology hasn't happened. At the same time it does happen in the cheerleading world, but at Georgetown we just never have had that kind of team dynamic, not to mention over the past few years we've just at most had 3 guys on the squad.

How many days a week and for how long does the cheerleading squad do?

The cheerleading squad typically practices three days a week for two to 3 hours, in addition to whatever games and appearances we may also have on the schedule. On top of that comes the somewhat implicit expectation that team members stay in shape and are well conditioned, then while you don't necessarily have to go to the gym, almost people practise merely to stay in good shape throughout the year. Over the course of the year, information technology really does clothing on you lot physically, but also vocally. I usually lose my voice around the offset of New Educatee Orientation every year and with the exception of Christmas break, I pretty much have a sore pharynx through the finish of basketball game flavor. By far the Men'southward and Women's Big E Tournaments are the most physically enervating portions of the year, specially if the teams are successful. You lot go iii or four days in a row with games every mean solar day, and you're yelling even more than than normal because it's non a whole arena of Georgetown fans and the games just go bigger. Plus we have to kneel or squat down at tournament games, which makes it rough on the legs as the calendar week goes on.

What are your opinions regarding the motion-picture show 'Bring It On!' and its bear upon on cheerleading globally?

Although I call up Kirsten Dunst gave an first-class performance, I'd say the motion-picture show as a whole isn't a perfect representation of the cheerleading world. Certain aspects of it are adequately accurate, such as the intensity of cheerleading competitions, which is a whole different earth from cheerleading at games, only equally a whole product you can't have it too seriously.

When y'all become to a non-Georgetown event, do you e'er feel odd merely being a normal spectator?

Definitely; I call back terminal Christmas my family went to a Hornet'south game and information technology was and so awkward sitting in the stands, as odd every bit that may audio. Prior to that game, I tin't think of the concluding fourth dimension I was just a regular spectator at football game or basketball game. Even when it came to "not-cheerleading" sports, I always made a indicate to attend at least a few home games a year, somewhat trying to care for all sports equally and aid get the crowd pumped fifty-fifty out of uniform. In that regard fifty-fifty though I was technically in the stands it was never like being a normal spectator at any point during my Georgetown undergraduate career.

Exercise you lot shake the opposing cheerleaders' hands at the cease of the game?

I never accept, but that'southward not really a sportsmanship affair in cheerleading, because I've never seen information technology done. There's commonly very little directly interaction betwixt dissimilar cheerleading squads at games, although there is definitely some prideful competition going on, in that no one wants to be upstaged in front of a national audition, and everyone's trying their best to make their respective school wait proficient. Simply shaking easily like the competing teams practise subsequently games, is only something that isn't done in cheerleading.

Please detail the impact that THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON had on the cheerleading squad. If the reply is "Absolutely none", delight type "N/A" and proceed to next question.

Some of us have followed the blogs, and most of us grabbed a Coincidental Hoya headband at some point last year. I mean who doesn't like headbands or gratuitous stuff? I know the Phenomenon is definitely growing every bit I'm now a regular reader, though first-time poster with this interview.

Everyone loves the pic 'Run across the Parents', in which Ben Stiller plays Gaylord Focker, a male person nurse. In the motion-picture show, Focker meets the parents of his fiancee, reveals that he is a male nurse, and hijinx ensues. Have you lot revealed to the parents of anyone you've dated that you are a male cheerleader? If so, what is the typical reaction?

Anybody I've dated pretty much knew what they were getting into when they started dating me, so there was never really any big revelation moment with them or their parents. Plus I came from a family where cheerleading was just like every other sport and then I've never actually considered it as something to address any differently than being on basketball or football team. A lot of the "stigma" associated with existence a male cheerleader is actually only a large deal if you lot pay it any attention and really feed the hype. It was never really anything that bothered me, and the Georgetown community has been very supportive and appreciative of my and the other male cheerleaders efforts over the years.

Do you call up the stereotypes associated with the role of 'male cheerleader' are fair?

Stereotyping in general is really merely not a style to go with merely near whatsoever subject area. Cheerleading is no different in that regard.

If memory serves, you cheered injured, with a bandage on your arm. Can we safely assume that HGH is a part of your training regimen? How prevalent are PEDs in cheering?

Although I've drunk protein shakes for quite some time, I'm steroid and supplement free, unless you count a multi-vitamin. I don't think that kind of stuff is particularly prevalent in cheerleading, just considering it's non all that necessary to exist huge and big; a lot of the throwing girls around and tumbling is technique and really with just near minimal strength and good practice you can be a pretty expert cheerleader. Throughout about of my cheerleading career I was only five'10, 175 pounds, and I think I did fine. That said you can always get bigger or stronger, and strength certainly helps, but I've never heard of someone getting on steroids so they could heave their cheerleading career.

How did yous react to Georgetown's loss to Ohio? Did the loss feel like more of a punch to your stomach or was it more of a steaming hot syringe beingness slowly pushed into your eyeball?

I'yard not sure about a punch to the stomach or a hot steaming syringe, just it definitely hurt, and after the success of the Big East Tournament, I don't think anyone saw it coming. Information technology was very much a shock to go from such a loftier the week before to such an unexpected low. Afterwards the loss, nosotros went straight from the game to the hotel and and then to the airport inside virtually 2 hours and we were back in DC that night. I call up information technology all went by so apace that it was one big sad mistiness, and I never really had that one moment where I realized I wouldn't cheer at another Georgetown basketball game. For example, just in the time information technology took to get on the aeroplane, I was talking with Rich Chvotkin most whether or not Greg Monroe would stay? It'southward not that it was easy to just move on, but in such circumstances, y'all actually don't want to linger in the moment. You find something else to look to and at the least distract you from what but happened. As well, nosotros had the women's squad out in California, and with the twelvemonth they were having, I was nevertheless very hopeful that they could put together a run and would thus need cheerleaders in the 3rd and 4th rounds of the Women'south NCAA Tournament.

COMING TOMORROW: PART 3

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Source: https://www.casualhoya.com/2010/10/27/1764354/interview-with-the-male-cheerleader-part-2-what-its-like-to-be-a

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