Eye-Opener: Memo

Preview: Behind the Masque-cot

if you didn't know already, i'm going to be the Griffin this year along with Stephanie...i've always wanted to be a mascot, plus i get behind the scene of 'cheer' world...so literally i'm going 'under-cover'...this fall for the Setonian (campus newspaper)...

i'm going to propose to Ann, our chief editor if I could write something that would deal with being a mascot- it would be a mix of humor, mascot "secrets" and a little bit like a sports news story (but not totally).

today was our first day in 'cheer' camp...the experience was more like hell rather than a cheery rendezvous with dancing gymnists. It started at 9 am and it ended at 5pm (we had plenty of water breaks in between before and after our big lunch break at 1).

first we learned some cheer terminology like 'high' V and its mirror opposite 'low' V, there's the "T" and the "broken T" and many more...aside from the alphabet, I learned the difference between a clap and a clasp...

This was followed with chants, a little bit of choreography and jumps (toe touch which is a misnomer, the hurdles not the 'herkie' and the 'pike' jump, don't mistake these for new types of margarita).

a giddy and ebulient cheer squad wouldn't be the same without team bonding - introduction, mini-games (squirrels and nuts) and untying human knots.

Then came the time for dangerous stunts like basket case toss and lifts, base (front and back and main) and flyers were all aware of the situation of accidents. Lucky for us mascots, we didn't have to worry about stunts.

Before the finally, we did push ups, isometric movements with the upper shoulders and maybe biceps, some ab workouts and lunges.

for the finally, we learned a dance choreography (tons of 8 beat counts- really fast) to a hyper dance remix of Gwen Stefani's "Holla back Girl"...we set personal and team goals and called it a day...

What i originally thought of as a three hour morning camp turned into a day of sweating under heat-cumulating cumulus clouds...I definitely did my workout for today...tomorrow's another day...

"GO___G___O___GO___Fight___Win!"

Posted by Michael Diezmos at August 15, 2005 7:24 PM