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Show THE CAMPUS Being a cheerleader is not all 'fun and games' By KENDRA CHRISTIANSEN JOURNAL STAFF WRJTER Students who take cheerleading at its face value of being all fun and games, should take note of the 199697 SUU cheerleading squad. The members of this year's squad include Becky Kennedy (head cheerleader), Troy Braun, Corey Christensen, Joe Garces, Sadie Graff, Tracie Hall, Jacob Kreitzer, Brian Montano, Doane Mardis, Molly Petersen, Alex Rund (mascot), Amber Trapp and Glenda Wilson. The squad began their practice routine six weeks , before school was in session. "Before football season started up our practice entailed two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Since we got through the first football game and got our training down we now go from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. every m orning, 11 said Tamara Melton, SUU athletics secretary and cheerleading adviser. According to Melton, an average daily practice starts with 30 minutes of warm-up, consisting of a one-mile run, stretching exercises and jumping and kicking drills. The team then moves on to their practice of stunting, dancing and pyramids. "There are no competitions planned this year, because our budget is very limited. We barely make it through the school year on the budget that is allocated to us through the [SUUSAJ Senate," said Melton. According to Melton, uniforms cost an average of $2,000 for the squad. The average skirt for a cheerleader ranges in cost from $69 to $75, and the tops run $50. "In the years we have to order uniforms, which is every two to three years, it depletes our whole budget," said Melton. "The new mascot costume alone cost us $1,000. The members are only required to pay for their meal expenses when traveling, socks and half the cost of their shoes. If they damage their uniform, then they are responsible for the cost. "The senate allocated a dollar figure to us this year, which was $3,000. We had to raise $500 in two increments, and they agreed to match it up to $1,000," Melton continued. "We've met our first goal of $500, and we are very close to meeting the second. With just a couple more fund-raisers, we will reach it by the end of December." The squad isn't planning on attending any camps for this year, according to Melton. "I think camps are great, but it isn't a necessary thing every year. We've attended United Cheering Association (UCA) and United Spirit Association (USA) in the past," Melton said. "By next year, the squad wil! be ready for another camp, but the problem with that is the closest camps are in Denver, Colo. and Santa Barbara, Calif." Cheerleader Sadie Graff, a freshman elementary ed ma;or, is hoisted into the air at a football game. Tryouts for the squad are every spring, in the middle of April. There are five to six judges, all chosen by Melton. "I usually try to get a staff member, a coach who will be working with them, such as a gymnastics coach, a previous squad member and someone who has some knowledge of cheering," said Melton. Tryouts are becoming more difficult in terms of competition and skill. Last year, there were only two positions available and 12 tried out, according to Melton. "In order to cheer, students have to have a desire to promote school spirit, and they have to enjoy leading the crowd. That's what keeps me going when I have to go to practice every morning at 7 a.m.," said Kennedy. "I try to keep squad members from the previous years so they don' t have to try out again. I look at it as if it were football or basketball, you don't get rid of your best athlete and have tryouts again, " said Melton. Prior experience from the members usually involves high school cheering, drill team, dance classes and gymnastics or tumbling experience, said Melton. "This year, our squad is very diverse, we are strong in tumbling and with a little time, we will improve on our stunting. We just had three new men added to the team, so we are still adjusting," said Kennedy. "We only have one man returning from last year, so we've basically had to start all over with the basic stunting. Last year, we had three men who were experienced stunters, and the women were all hitting high-level stunts," said Melton. "Our strengths lie within the talent we have as far as being strong leaders and dancers. 11 As far as goals are concerned, I think most of the girls would like to be able to reach the high level of stunting they were doing last year," said Melton. "Any time you have a co-ed squad, that's their goal. I think they will reach it." There are injuries that occur during the year according to Melton, but they are usually minor injuries that the members can still work with. "There are a lot of safety measures we have to take when performing the stunts because of the risk involved. It's a matter of being comfortable with what you do before you attempt it, or else fear becomes our main obstacle," said Kennedy. 11 As far as I'm concerned, this squad is every bit as good as other universities' squads. I think sometimes they get intimidated when they think about cheering against bigger universities, like the University of Utah, Utah State University and Brigham Young University," said Melton. ILP program teaches English to foreign children SUU students have the opportunity to visit Russia or China while teaching at the same time By MISSY SEVERSON JOURNAL STAFF WRITER Traveling to a foreign country for five months would be an experience that could never be equaled with "book knowledge." The opportunity to learn first-hand about other cultures, become familiar with a foreign language and visit famous cities would likely seem a priceless adventure for most students. However, an expenditure like this one is out of the question for most students, due both to the expense involved and the amount of school that must be missed for such an experience. International Service For Children (ILPJ helps to defeat these challenges, while giving students an. enriching experience and a memory that will last a lifetime. ILP is a non-profit organization, designed to give children of other countries the opportunity to learn the English language. Students from SUU, as well as I other schools around the nation, can live in countries such as Russia, China and Taiwan. While there, they teach the English language for a cost of $1,500. There is also an application fee of $100 in addition to this expense. This price includes round-trip airfare, as well as room and board. It also includes enrollment in language and culture classes in the country of service. SUU is in the process of making the experience worth university credit. "I went to Russia to teach and loved it so much, I decided to stay another five inonths," said Ruth Ogden, a representative from ILP. Students who desire to stay, or return at another time, can relive the experience for an additional $300. Depending on the chosen location, some students will live with a host family. Others, however, will live with other students in apartments and visit children in their homes. Teachers will be required to work four days a week, and will receive several vacations. In order to be eligible for the program, students must demonstrate high moral integrity, have good social skills and have some performing talent (i.e. music drama, art, dance, sports, speaking, etc.). Students also must be willing to abstain from the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, profanity and agree to obey the laws of the country they are sent to. Students who are accepted begin training immediately. Training is designed to help make · teaching English a successful process for the participants. Teachers will be evaluated by their ability to cooperate and work as a team with others. They will need to demonstrate their ability by preparing 15-30 lesson outlines and necessary material kits before leaving. The mission statement of ILP states "Our aim is to allow all children to participate, regardless of financial status. Generous donations to the children's English fund from groups and individuals in the community are greatly appreciated." For more information on International Service For Children, students may contact Ogden, SUU's ILP representative at (888) ILP-KIDS. |