The following is a full transcript of the interview given by Mrs. Douglas to The Warrior Messenger’s LaNique Jenkins, and Tanisi Mistry about the life of cheerleading.

 ————————————————————————————————–

Tanisi Mistry: How did you feel when you first started coaching the students?

Mrs. Douglas: I was really excited to be able to coach with Mrs. Liastro, I was a cheerleader when I was in elementary, middle, and high school. So I was really excited to take on the role of coaching with someone who is as wonderful as Mrs. Liastro.

LaNique Jenkins: How do you deal with a cheerleader with an injury that’s really bad?

MD: So it’s always tough when one of our cheerleaders gets hurt, but what we have them do is they still get dressed and they can sit on the bleachers, and that way they can still cheer with their team, but they won’t be able to do if it’s their foot, then they will have to be sitting on the bleachers.

TM: How do you inspire students from your cheerleading experience?

MD: I try to really encourage them just to have fun. I really like when the cheerleaders are having a good time. We are really all about no problems, no drama, and to have fun and go out there. We use that as inspiration so they don’t take themselves too seriously, so they can still have fun and do what they are supposed to do.

LJ: What would you say are the hardest moves to learn when it comes to tumbling?

MD: So a lot of our girls dance outside since a lot of them come in with really great tumbling moves already, so we don’t have to teach any tumbling. We offer the opportunity for the girls or the boys if they’re trying out who can tumble to show those off in front of the crowd, but it’s not a requirement, personally, I think doing the aerials is the hardest.

TM: Since cheer can take many obstacles through the way, what were some of the problems you faced throughout your journey?

MD: Some of the problems we faced were on the emotional level, we did have a couple of conflicts that went on years ago that we had to resolve so that’s always tough when you see a group of kids not getting along. Same time we also had to remove a couple of cheerleaders. A few years passed so we had to restructure our entire routine for our stunt groups, so that always makes it really difficult.

LJ: Why did you want to start coaching for cheerleaders?

MD: I have always loved cheer. Cheer has been my favorite sport. I really worked in high school to battle against the whole stereotype that it’s only ditzy girls that do cheerleading, and I was really sporty, I loved the athleticism of it. I loved performing in front of a crowd, so that’s been my real drive in coaching.

TM: What’s your way of comforting students when they are nervous?

MD: I tell them very silly bad dad jokes.

TM: What are some of the top goals you want your students to achieve?

MD: We’re really excited this year, because they are going to have the opportunity to participate in a stunt clinic where we are going to have professionals from outside come to Woodbridge Middle School to work with them to do new stunts. So that is a huge goal for me and for Mrs. Liastro is to get some new, really cool effective stunts going for our team.

LJ: Did someone inspire you to start coaching? If so, who was that someone?

MD: Nobody really inspired me to become a cheerleader. I worked at Perth Amboy before I came to Woodbridge Middle School. I saw their cheer team and I knew part of it, so I spoke to Mrs. Liastro and she welcomed me with open arms. 

LJ: If you were a cheerleader for your high school years, where was the school you started cheering at?

MD: I grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. So I cheered at Moapa Valley High School.

—————————————————————————————————————

The following is a full transcript of the interview given by Olivia Slicner to The Warrior Messenger’s LaNique Jenkins, and Tanisi Mistry about the life of cheerleading.

 Tanisi Mistry: How did you feel when you first started cheerleading?

 Olivia Slicner: I felt really good, cheerleading is really fun and it’s like a safe space especially because the coaches are so nice and so enthusiastic. They make us feel really good about ourselves, so it’s really good.

 LaNique Jenkins: Cheerleading takes a lot of training, what were the most difficult parts of becoming a cheerleader?

 OS: I’m also a dancer out of school, and cheerleading and dancing is really challenging to balance both out, so it’s definitely hard to find time to practice for cheer, and the chance  to get ready for the game, but I commit to do it. It’s just a part of things like going to bed a little later, but it was all worth it. 

TM: What were some benefits for you from joining cheerleading?

OS:  I definitely made a lot of friends, created bonds, and cheer is just so fun.

LJ: A lot of people think that cheerleading is all about flexibility and gymnastics. What does cheerleading mean to you?

OS: It is definitely not all about flexibility, it probably is about teamwork and working with a crew, and it feels like a family working together.

TM: What were some of the downsides in cheerleading?

OS: Definitely the practices that are from Monday to Thursday, you only get off on Friday. The games end pretty late and when you do your hairstyles, your cheer bow will always get stuck in your hair and mess up your hair. Not a lot, but it does definitely hurt taking it out.

LJ: What would you say are the hardest moves to learn when it comes to tumbling?

OS: Well in cheer we don’t really learn how to tumble unless we can tumble, then she’ll let you tumble.  

TM: Since cheer can take many obstacles along the way, what were some of the problems you faced throughout your journey?

OS: Probably when I started stunting, because last year when I was on the cheer team, I was in basketball and there were a lot of complications with some people and it was really difficult to get up in a stunt and it is just really challenging for everyone. 

LJ: Why did you want to become a cheerleader?

OS: Like I said before, I’m a dancer, and I love dancing and being active, and I thought that cheerleading was fun all since when I was a little girl, and I wanted to try to do it in middle school. It is really fun.

TM: When you first participated in cheerleading events, what was your first reaction to the public?

OS: I was super nervous, especially at the games when there were parents and people from our school. It really felt like “Are they going to judge us? Am I going to mess up?” I was really nervous but I was okay, nothing happened. If we do mess up, we just go back right into it.

TM: Since cheerleading can be dangerous, what was your most dangerous and trickiest stunt you have ever done?

OS: Well, I’m not a flyer but I was a tumbler and it was really hard to always land my tumbling sometimes, and make sure it was good.  Cheerleading is so fun, it just creates really good vibes with people and just give it a try!