Without a steady base for the past four years, Boston University’s cheerleaders, shaken by a history of unreliable coaches and inevitable comparisons to the school’s flashy dance team, have been unable to fly onto the radars of Terrier fans.
The Cheerleading Team, a club sport that is officially coed but lacks male representation, has tumbled through four coaches in the last four years. Five girls have quit the squad since the beginning of the semester for academic reasons, said co-captain Kaila Therrien.
Fans generally think the dancers are more attractive and talented than the cheerleaders, said co-captain Halle Melcher. Both groups perform at men’s and women’s basketball games and appear in the crowd at hockey games.
Not many students are interested in joining the squad because of these negative connotations, Melcher said, adding strict regulations do not allow the team to perform complicated stunts.
“The fact [that] we haven’t gotten to do cool stuff on the floor makes people think they might be wasting time,” said Melcher, a College of Engineering senior.
Therrien, a senior in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said the team cannot perform “double-high pyramids” or twists when coming out of stunts. She said twists, however, can add a college-level quality to a trick.
The team qualified for the National Cheerleaders Association Nationals last year for the first time in 10 years. This past August, the squad received a bid for the 2008 NCA competition.
While the squad has had recent success, Therrien said it is plagued by its inconsistent coaching. After her freshman year, the team has gone through two coaches before they had to commute to practice in Watertown to practice with former coach Tom D’Elia.
Meghan Reese, now the team’s coach in her first year, said she was hired after the cheerleaders posted an advertisement and held interviews themselves.
Reese, an American University graduate and former cheerleader, said she was hired to get the BU squad on the right track.
“I know how to teach a national team,” she said.
Despite Reese’s efforts, Therrien said five girls have quit the team because of school-related issues since the beginning of the academic year.
Reese, also a BostonNOW reporter, said she has never quit a cheerleading team and wonders why some cheerleaders are not dedicated.
“I’m looking for girls who are strong and committed,” she said.
Reese said although she seeks enthusiastic girls, she does not want to put too much pressure on them.
The team may have to rework routines and cut some stunts because of the girls who dropped out, Melcher said.
This is the first time in six years the team performs during basketball half-time shows. Reese said these performances are a good way to introduce the audience to the squad.
