Cheers! Going beyond routine

Today's cheerleader does a lot more than clap and chant.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Cheerleading sureisn't what it used to be.
Not that any of the high school girls giving demonstrations at the Canfield Fair grandstand Wednesday would remember when it consisted of chanting, clapping and shaking pompoms in front of a crowd, and not much else.
These girls from 14 area school districts, whose performances began at 11 a.m. in front of a large audience, are way more than just pompom shakers. With tumbles and flips, they're athletes. With choreographed moves, they're dancers.
And they work hard at it. The squad from West Branch Schools practiced every day during the summer, said Carly McClellan, 14.
As she and other girls from West Branch waited their turn to perform, they talked about what attracted them to the sport and how they overcame their nervousness when it came time to do that first flip.
Alyssa Grimm, 16, likes the dancing best. Stephanie Kitzmiller, 14, acknowledged that at first, the flips are hard. But practicing every day helps. Natalie White, 14, said she began learning to flip by doing back bends.
Cheerleading started becoming more athletic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, said Dawn Dickey of North Lima, who coaches the South Range schools squad.
But not all cheerleaders have to perform flips and tumbles, she said. Girls can still participate by dancing and chanting.
Involvement
Dickey said she began coaching Little Raiders peewee cheerleaders, then followed her three daughters as a coach through junior high and into high school. They've graduated, but she still continues to coach. "The girls keep me young."
The squads compete locally throughout the year, she said, including at The Pink Ribbon Classic in October at Youngstown State University. There, squads will raise donations for breast cancer research and education. Her squad, which includes 17 girls, will also sell T-shirts this year to raise money for the cause.
Western Reserve's squad features some cheerleading veterans.
April Pauken, Julie Kocanyar and Lillie Drouchard, all 15, said they've been involved in the sport since they were little girls.
Tumbling is the hardest skill to learn, Lillie said, while dancing is the most fun.
For Julie, one of the best parts of cheerleading is "pumping up the crowd."
So some things haven't changed.