Well, Dorothy, this isn’t your big sister or mother’s cheerleading anymore.
But, at Three Rivers College, you could say it is a mix of new and old style.
The sport of cheerleading is just that – an athletic endeavor. What used to be young people cheering loudly in uniform to spur on the crowd on game night a generation or two ago, has now become a full-on, hardcore sport. It has elevated its level of athleticism to the point it always ranks at or usually the top of the list of activities that incur the most injury.
Coming from gymnastic or tumbling backgrounds, what cheerleading used to be is only a shadow of what these young women and now, men have become.
Competitive cheer is a real deal – just check out Netflix’s docu-series on it – and it is usually year-round.
But, at Three Rivers, it can be considered a hybrid of sorts. The cheerleaders there, many of which come from sporting and competitive cheer backgrounds, are indeed athletic, but this particular squad is a sideline one. Meaning they are there to cheer for the basketball teams and then their job is done.
It is a reminder of what cheer has always been while letting us know just how far it has come and the Raiders here wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Our cheer program is a very important, integral part of our athletic department,” athletic director Brian Bess said. “They are a group of quality student-athletes that enjoy bringing energy and enthusiasm from our community for all of our teams at our games and events.”
The cheerleaders themselves like the terms on which they go out every night to do their best to engage and boost the crowd and team.
“I have never done competitive cheer, so this is more like high school for me, and it is less stressful that we don’t have to do competitive cheer,” sophomore Haley Moore said. “We are focused on our full timeouts, looking good for the crowd and get the crowd interacted into the game rather than stressing on getting a routine to take to nationals.
“You still have to have that peppy spirit for the crowd to be interactive. You don’t want to be boring on the side. You are still needing the same attitude toward the game, just like you would if you go out for a competition.”
Poplar Bluff’s own, sophomore Mackenzie Timbush, said the team practices 2-3 times a week for two hours and work on chants, tumbling and their full timeouts while learning more stunts.
“We set up our pyramids to a chant for full timeouts and we make sure they are all solid,” Timbush said. “Before the games, we get there about an hour-and-a-half early, go to the weightroom and do that all again to make sure we are ready.”
Head coach Kayla Sparkman enters her seventh year in charge of the Three Rivers cheerleaders and said the program’s only focus is to cheer for the teams on campus while participating as ambassadors for the college at public and private functions.
“That’s how we figure out what we are supposed to work on,” Sparkman said. “Our goal is to lead and entertain the crowd and encourage the team.”
Three Rivers used to be a competitive cheer program, but upon Sparkman’s arrival the focus moved to being sideline-centric. “We are still in the rebuilding stages since I took over,” Sparkman said. “I don’t know much about the program prior (to her arrival). We are trying to strengthen our team.”
Moore said the inspiration of why these athletes want to do this for the Raiders.
“Probably all of us have been doing this since the fifth grade or younger and we all still enjoy cheer a lot,” Moore said. “We also enjoy watching basketball and the stunts that we do hit. We do have a stunt sequence that we don’t do for a competition, but we like to also show it off.”
When basketball ends, Timbush said the idea of cheering for more teams would be cool, but they get plenty busy in the basketball season.
Sparkman said recruiting for cheer members can be difficult when talking to athletes who prefer the idea of going to a school with a competitive program.
“We have several that aren’t too far away from us,” Sparkman said. “We attend local games and try to keep an eye out for talent that is there. I might see a kid and talk to a freshman a couple of times until they are seniors and see if they are interested. I also coached competitive gymnastics prior to my job at the college and some of the kids in high school now, I coached when they were younger, so that helps.”
Recruiting is focused in the area and region where high schools lean toward sideline-based cheer, although competitive is growing.
Sparkman likes the nostalgia and nuance of sideline-based cheer and she attended a college that was the same.
“I like that Three Rivers has a really good history and we help represent that history,” Sparkman said. “The plan is to continue growing the program. Year-to-year, we have about 12-16 members and we’d like to see it in the 20s. The more cheerleaders there are, the bigger and cooler things we are able to do and entertain the crowd.”
School president Dr. Wes Payne for one is grateful for what the cheer squad brings to the mix on game night.
“The team is an integral part of our athletic department and college’s community involvement,” Payne said. “Coach Sparkman has done an excellent job of recruiting and growing individuals who exemplify our standards and goals.”
The 2022-23 squad consists of nursing students Mallory Rodgers (Bernie), sophomores Fatima Flores (Senath), Allison Goodman (Neelyville), Haley Moore (Gideon) and Mackenzie Timbush (Poplar Bluff); and freshmen Clurie Briley (Piedmont), Dennis Garamella (Puxico), Jai’lyn Garmon (Cape Girardeau), Akiyah Jordan (Portageville), Kaydee Owen (Ellsinore), Mackenzie Powell (Bernie), Cassidy Sullivan (Poplar Bluff), Addylynn Whitfield (Bragg City/Kennett) and Morgan Wood (Greenville).
Alan Dale - Daily American Republic