Cheerleaders Out To Prove They Are Athletes Too

by Ty Brueilly

We know that football, basketball and baseball are all sports, but another sport that is often overlooked is cheerleading, which may require the most work and time.

The Appalachian State Cheerleading Team started tryouts and practice during Spring Break of last year. The team then picked things back up in mid-July, where they went to a full three-day clinic. Afterward the team traveled to Eastern Tennessee State University (ETSU) to attend a four-day camp to prepare for this year.

The team has a regular workout and practice schedule for each week. Six hours are spent practicing stunts, and another six are spent practicing routines.

Team members go to the weight room three days a week, and twice weekly they engage in aerobic workouts. This schedule does not include game days or competitions, and this routine doesn't end until the end of the basketball season, in March. Newcomer, Sophomore Mandie Thomas says, "We spend so much time practicing, Broome-Kirk (Gym) has become our second home."

Former Junior Varsity cheerleader Dennis Jackson says, "It is practically a year-round sport." Why so much preparation? For starters, cheerleaders have to be prepared to move the crowd with flawless stunts and cheers. They are on the sidelines of every football and basketball game, whether home or on the road. But the team's number one goal this year is to make it to Nationals, which takes place in the beginning of January.

To do so, the team must sacrifice many things. And through all the demanding workouts, each team member has proven to be willing to do just that: sacrifice. To qualify for Nationals, the squad sends in a ten-minute video of its absolute, finest work. Without seeing the team in person, the judges decide whether or not to give Appalachian State a chance.

Regarding the video, the team is fully prepared. Thomas says, "Every practice we have taped the whole entire thing, then we will add live game footage showing how we get the crowd into the game." The Nationals are not the only goal this team has. Jackson says, "We want-- and need-- to increase school spirit to the students in any way we can so that we can have the best fans ever."

The team plans to achieve this by performing its stunts perfectly so the crowd can easily get into the games, which in turn pumps up the players so they can perform at their peak.

Thomas says, "We want to prove that we are athletes, too, and show it's not just about cute girls in short skirts." The team comes in this year with a new coach, Chris Joyner, and four returning members, John Tomlinson, Cary Neuendorf, and Captains Natasha Fairchild and Hank Fields.

The team also had six members bumped up from last season's Junior Varsity squad--Dennis Jackson, Sarah Hogshead, Clint Hughes, Travis Greene, Brad Greene and Alexis Smith. The squad added eight new members--Mandie Thomas, Billy Assell, April Beaty, Charity Dyson, Erin Ferguson, Josh McCrary, Adair Rawley and Blake Segail.

The next time you hear about the big touchdown or the buzzer beater to win the game, think about who is on the sidelines getting the whole crowd roaring. Without the crowd cheering, would the players get pumped up enough to make that touchdown or score that basket in the waning seconds of the game? And without the cheerleaders, would the crowd be cheering at all?

Club Sports are big part of campus life

It's not just the varsity athletes having all the fun. Appalachian State has eighteen club-sport teams, and the best part is that no experience is needed to be a member.

The sports being offered this year are: boxing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, ice hockey, men's lacrosse, rugby, skiing, women's soccer, swimming, triathlon, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, and wrestling.

Dave Hutchison, coordinator of Aquatics and Club Sports, has all the information you need to join a team.

Club sports are funded by the student development center, and each club decides on membership fees as well as practice schedules and fitness programs. There is a no-cut policy, and anyone with dedication and a competitive spirit can play.

The seasons have yet to start, so it's not too late. On Monday, the women's soccer team will meet in the McRae Peak room in the Student Union at 7 p.m. Team President Angie Deardorff will discuss plans for this season. She can be reached at 264-8052 to answer any questions.

Club sports are an excellent way to meet people and become a more active member of the student body. For all questions concerning any of the eighteen teams, contact Dave Hutchison in his office at 207 Broome-Kirk Gym, by phone at 262-2100, via e-mail at hutchisonde@appstate.edu, or just check out the web site, www.urec.appstate.edu.

Mountaineer volleyball closing in on goal

by Chris Boyce

After losing four seniors to graduation last season, you might think volleyball Head Coach Chris Redding would be worried. But after a busy summer of recruiting and practicing, Redding is ready for another season of Mountaineer volleyball. "We started up August 7th with double-days up until the beginning of school and now we're down to one-a-days," says Redding.

"Were working hard and feeling good." The Apps' first obstacle to winning the Southern Conference (SoCon) comes Friday, Sept. 1 at the Virginia Tech-sponsored Hokie Classic Volleyball Tournament. Redding feels that this year's team is more prepared for the upcoming season than last year's. "Our practice intensity compared to last year at this time is well above it, and if that continues through the ups and downs of the season, we'll have a shot to be a lot better," says Redding.

Having lost four seniors last year, one question surely to be raised is about the team's youthfulness. "We're a little bit younger, but we brought in some good people," says Redding. "All the returners have another year with me under their belt and it's becoming a little bit easier." Coach Redding expects the team's two seniors, Carrie Gibson and Tiffany White, to make an impact with leadership, but also hopes to have the juniors step up as well.

"Our seniors are important," says Redding. "They are definitely important for leadership and drive. The two returning juniors got a lot of playing time last year and gained a lot of experience as sophomores. Another way for us to reach our one athletic goal is for them to really step it up and carry a big weight this year." Redding also expects this season to be easier because last year was his first as head coach.

"Last year was all new for everyone: my style, my offense, my defense and what's going on," says Redding. "This year it's really nice because some of that weight is lifted by the returners since they know what's going on. One of the things we put stock in is that the returners help the new players." The Mountaineers were picked to finish seventh in the preseason SoCon rankings, but Redding doesn't quite buy into the polls.

"Right now we can finish anywhere from one through eleven and its gonna be based on how hard we work," he says. Despite being in a division that boasts Davidson and Chattanooga, the team feels they have an honest shot at winning the conference.

"Our one and only athletic goal is to win the Southern Conference Tournament," says Redding. "We wouldn't put that up there if we didn't think we had a shot at it." But to win the conference, Redding will need solid play from the setter position. "I would say probably the biggest weakness that's now a strength is out of the setting position with Tiffany (White)," says Redding.

"We ran a really different-style offense last year so it took some time to adjust and learn that." The learning curve will have to be small for the Mountaineers, however, since their schedule is anything but easy. Non-conference matches with NCAA powerhouses such as UNC Chapel Hill and Clemson University, both top-25 teams last season, will provide tough challenges. "Our non-conference schedule is pretty nasty," says Redding.

"I think the most fun match-ups are gonna be our conference matches towards the end of the year where we'll be fighting for position going into the conference tournament. That's when we'll be peaking, hopefully, (and) playing our best volleyball." The Mountaineers' first home game takes place Sept. 6, when Radford University comes to Boone at 7:00 p.m.