Cheerleading Squad Eyes Future Success

Author: Campus Editor in Chief

Anna Rita Pergolizzi '04, the founder of Middlebury College's first-ever competitive cheerleading squad, named the first nine members of the team last week, the first step in establishing what said she hopes will become a prominent activity on campus.

To introduce the cheerleaders to the student body, Pergolizzi anticipates holding a spring semester pep rally for winter and spring sports teams, laying the groundwork for a biannual tradition.

She also mentioned the possibility of cheering at selected home games, even though the squad will be primarily dedicated to preparing for intercollegiate competitions.

After holding four tryout sessions, a judging panel including Morgan Jones '04, Professor of Russian Sergei Davydov and Associate Director of Admission Onis Cheathams chose finalists based on score sheets used in actual competitions. But in addition to considering factors like dance, voice and poise, the candidates' commitment to the sport also weighed heavily in the panel's decision.

"Anybody can do cheerleading," Pergolizzi maintains. "We just need people who are dedicated and who will catch on quickly."

Even though all nine of the current cheerleaders are women, Pergolizzi has always envisioned a co-ed team. She said she plans to work to achieve gender balance, ultimately capping participation at about 15 students.

The Student Government Association(SGA) Finance Committee provided the initial funding for the group, but the athletic department may underwrite some club expenses in the near future.

Baseball Coach Bob Smith, who oversees the intramural sports program, said that the Department wanted to "let Anna Rita get started and see what the interest level is." He added that he is "anxious to see what the response will be."

Now that the club has cleared the insurance process, Assistant Treasurer and Director of Business Services Tom Corbin said that the group is free to proceed with its activities.

As with other groups that involve physical activity, Corbin said he "tried to impress upon everybody that, if there is a known risk, then people understand it and take precautions." With cheerleading, he cited pyramid formations and trampoline exercises as the most dangerous, adding that such "things bother insurance companies."

Looking long-term, now that she has settled funding and insurance-related issues, Pergolizzi said she hoped to have both junior varsity and varsity squads, with the varsity cheerleaders focused on competition and their younger counterparts devoted to cheering at College athletic events.

She admitted, though, that this would "probably never happen in my years at Middlebury."

While she said establishing a cheerleading team here was "just a crazy idea I had, I just went along with it," in hopes that it would endure for years to come.

As a cheerleader since the third grade, Pergolizzi noted that the sport "incorporated gymnastics, dance and cheer all into one," allowing participants to "defy gravity" and experience an indescribable "rush."