Lancer cheerleaders are committed to excellence this year with one goal in mind: to train hard and put cheer at California Baptist University on the map.
Being on the team requires sacrificing free time, weekends and spring break, but the results are something Head Coach Tamarin Fleming is proud of.
“What sets them apart is they are clean. Their motions are sharp and their timing is spot on,” Fleming said.
Fleming believes CBU cheer’s confidence, uniformity and precision will set them apart and promote respect for the sport as a whole.
“I want to promote respect. The school is very supportive, but outside, in general, we do we see a lot of respect.”
Fleming pushes her girls so that they feel respected when they perform. “I want them to feel proud of who they are and what they have
accomplished,” Fleming said. Part of gaining respect as
individuals and athletes includes achieving academic success. Finding balance between practice and studies is one of the biggest challenges for Fleming.
“As a coach, I want to push harder and faster to be focused, but I know they are also students. Academics are a priority. I want them to grow into
great athletes and great young women,” Fleming said.
Brooke Malogne, who has cheered at CBU for the past three years, feeds on the challenge to excel in her sport and studies.
“I feel as though cheer helps me better balance my time. It reminds me that I cannot slack off. I know that, [when] I have a huge test, it keeps me focused on studying … because I know that practice and stuff is going to take up a lot of time,” Malogne said.
Practicing four times per week and sometimes on the weekends does not leave room for very much else, but the results of the practice are real, according to Malogne.
“We put a lot of work into our training so that we will be ready for an intense routine,” Malogne said. “We are trying to make a name for CBU cheer. One of this year’s goals is to highlight the game squad team at local events and raise awareness of the program’s prestige.”
Fleming’s focus is to have her girls tumbling and to choreograph a more edgy and contemporary routine. Audiences will not see the prototypical routine this year.
“Not so many pom-poms on the sidelines,” Fleming, who wants a less traditional, exciting routine, said.
Training will culminate in the competition in Daytona Beach, Fla. where Fleming is determined to place among the top, if not in first place.
