Reason to Cheer
September 7, 2011|Pursuits
Aaron Armstrong would like to tell you something about cheerleaders.
Armstrong is the coach of Elmhurst’s 15-student cheer squad, and at a recent practice he made sure to set the record straight about cheerleading.
“There’s this stereotype out there,” Armstrong told a visitor during a water break. “People think cheerleaders are all about being . . . peppy.”
But forget about the stereotype. What Armstrong and his cheerleaders want you to know is that cheerleading is a sport. And to succeed in a sport, you have to be an athlete.
“The first thing I look for in a cheerleader is athleticism,” he said. “We have former gymnasts and volleyball players on this team. It’s like any other team sport. You depend on your teammates and their skills.”
Those skills already have won Elmhurst’s cheerleaders some acclaim. They captured first place at the National Cheerleading Association camp competition at Lewis University in Romeoville this summer. That performance earned Elmhurst a place in collegiate cheerleading’s national championships in Florida in April. It will be the first appearance by an Elmhurst cheer squad at the nationals, where judges evaluate teams on their ability to tumble, toss, twist and perform stunts like the classic pyramid.
“It’s the biggest college competition there is,” Armstrong said.
At practice, though, the team was focused on a more immediate test. It was preparing to make its first official appearance of the school year at Elmhurst’s opening football game against Loras College. Armstrong pushed his cheerleaders through the sideline routines and stunts they would execute during timeouts. Like most coaches on the eve of a big game, he sometimes sounded anxious about his team’s readiness. “Do it again,” he barked at his squad after one sloppy run-through. “This is a college team, not a rec league. Chins up!”
If you have seen Elmhurst’s cheerleaders in action, it was probably in their role as supporters for the football and basketball teams. Cheerleaders understand that working the sidelines at games is part of the job description. But as athletes who are part of a competitive team in their own right, they have mixed feelings about their game-day routines.
“At the games, well, people aren’t really there to watch us,” said Kelly Tsambarlis, a senior from Mount Prospect and a team captain. “And they don’t really get a chance to see what we’re capable of doing. If they could see us in competition, I think they’d be impressed. They’d have a lot more respect for us as a team sport.”
At some schools, cheer is recognized as a varsity sport. Armstrong said he would like to see that happen someday at Elmhurst, but doesn’t expect immediate change. “It’ s a process,” he said. (This year’s squad is all-female, though some Elmhurst teams in the past have been coed.)
Tsambarlis said the team already has made huge strides since her first year on campus. Then the cheerleaders struggled along without a coach for part of the year before Armstrong was brought to campus. His impact was dramatic, she said. Armstrong helped build interest in the team and took the team to the most competitive camps and competitions.
“Without him, we would never have been competing at this level,” Tsambarlis said.
At practice, Armstrong was calling the team back from their break. It was time for his cheerleaders to work on some tumbling. Game day, and the chance to show a stadium full of football fans what Elmhurst’s cheerleaders can do, was just hours off.
“Our goal is to get the crowd cheering,” he said.
