Support Your Cheerleaders!

Come out and support those who support you! Your Alden Varsity Cheerleaders will be competing in two competitions for basketball season. If you think you’ve seen it all by watching them cheer at games and perform at half time then you are sadly mistaken. Competition is much more intense because the girls love to compete, therefore they are able to really get into the routine and give it there absolute all. After all, competition is everything that these cheerleaders work for. Don’t you appreciate and enjoy when fans come out and support you at your supporting events? Well the same goes for cheerleading. Everyone loves to have someone there cheering for them to win and to do their best. This helps to boost confidence, and also motivation as well. When there is a large crowd of people watching you perform your routine, you suddenly become very determined to give it all you got and to do your best. When the ones you care about most come out to support you, this also pushes you because you are working so hard to impress them and to not let you down. If you are interested in support the Alden Cheerleaders, they will be performing on Sunday, January 30^th at a competition held at Iroquois High School. The competition starts promptly at 9:00 am, the exact performance time of the girls has not yet been determined, however it will be sometime right when it begins due to the fact that they are competing in small division. The teams in small division always compete first. This competition will simply be used to prepare these girls for what they are really looking forward to, the ECIC Competition. The date of this competition is Saturday, February 5^th and it will be held at Williamsville South High School. The competition will begin at 9:30 am and just like the previous competition they will be performing in the morning hours; however the exact time is yet to be announced. There will be food and refreshments available for purchase at both competitions as well as keep sake, such as t-shirt and hooded sweatshirts. If directions are needed to either competition, don’t hesitate to ask Coach Puntoriero or captains Kelsey Osucha and LeeAnn Dorminy. They cheer for you, and they would love and appreciate if you could come out and cheer fort them!

Cheerleading 101!

Want to get the 101 on what being a cheerleader is all about?! Well, there are many aspects of cheerleading that many people are unaware of. Each team that is competing is expected to create a routine that is no longer than 2 minutes and thirty seconds. In this routine all of the following are required, stunts, jumps, tumbling, a dance, a cheer, and a pyramid. However, that is not even half of what cheerleading consists of. For stunts, there must be a single legged stunt and a pyramid, which is a mount where the flyers are always touching. The skill chosen for the flyers to conquer are up to the team members themselves, and they are scored based on how well the stick the stunt they choose to perform. As far as jumps goes, in order to receive the maximum amount of points a triple jump sequence is required, which means three jumps are hit right in a row without stopping in between.  Tumbling is always good to have because it helps bring in the extra points and adds pep to the routine. Tumbling can consist of something as simple as a forward roll, or range to something as difficult as a back hand spring or a back tuck. The dance segment of the routine can be whatever style of dance and for any amount of time. The girls are judged and scored on how sharp and difficult their movements and motions are. Basically the same thing goes for the cheer. They are scored on how tight the hit each motion and how in sync they are as a team. Projecting your voice is also very important during the cheer portion of the routine because you want to be as loud as you can possibly be and just blow the crowd away. On top of all that is required, each girl has to be sure to walk tightly to each formation and make sure that everything they are doing is neat and precise. They also have to make sure that they constantly have a smile on their face and are adding spunk in order to spice things up and make themselves interesting to watch. Cheerleading is a sport that requires many different skills and techniques.

Cheerleading takes dedication!

Cheerleading is an activity that is constantly in debate. Some people argue that cheerleading is not a sport, and others beg to differ. I am in fact one of those individuals that highly disagrees.  As cheerleaders, we put in just as much time and dedication as any other sport. We practice very often and put in many hours of hard work every week. We even have practices on the weekends quiet frequently in order to benefit ourselves. Cheerleading takes strength, flexibility, endurance, memorization skills, determination and so much more. While performing, perception is a key component. If one girl messes up the counts, it throws the entire routine off and will confuse all of the other team members. It may seem simple and as though anyone could easily pick it up, however this is not the case. We practice frequently for a reason, and that reason is because just like any other sport, cheerleading takes practice. Our job as cheerleaders is to motivate the athletes and to pump up the fans, whether it is for football or basketball.  We love the fact that we are able to be there for them and help cheer them to victory.  However, competition is what every cheerleader really looks forward to every season; it is everything that they work for. Competing allows cheerleaders the chance to get competitive and show the judges what they have to offer. Each team is put into a division, small, medium or large and then proceeds to compete against the other teams in their division for first place. Most athletes have hours to win it and prove their abilities; cheerleaders have strictly 2 minutes and 30 seconds. After completing a routine, although it is such a short period of time, you feel as tired and worn out as you would after sprinting a long distance. I am sure that if everyone who refuses to classify cheerleading as a sport tried it for one week; they would completely change their minds. Just like any other sport, we cheer, because it is something that we love to do and enjoy dedicating our time to!

Snow White*

For my choice blog I am going to write about the day I got my first car and the entire thrilling experience that came along with it. When it started to come closer and closer to that time to choose a car, I was very interested in an SUV. I always said there was no way that I was getting a car, that I had to have an SUV. I was just not into cars and I wanted something bigger, mostly because then I would not have to worry about driving in the snow. I never searched for any cars, nor online or just when I was out. Then, one day about one month from the day I was going for my road test, my mom called me and said that she had found the perfect car for me. I did not even want to listen to anything else that she had to say after she said the word car. However, the forced me to go look at it and planned on buying it because I didn’t really have a choice because they said it was perfect for me. So they dragged me along in the car to see it. I instantly fell in love. As soon as I inspected the outside, checked out the inside and took it for a test drive, I could not stop asking my parents if we could buy it right then and there. My parents took the woman up on her offer because it was such a good price for a car with such low miles. It was also in mint condition which made the deal even better! So now, I drive a white 2003 Pontiac Grand AM which I love. Never did I ever think that I would end up driving around a car, I thought for sure that I would drive an SUV. I even named my car snow white because she is white and I bought her in the winter. Getting my first car was a very exciting experience.

Super Bowl Sunday!

My Super Bowl Sunday has been spent the same way for as long as I can remember. Every year we have a party at my house and all of our family friends come over. Yes, this does mean that I get to spend time with my BFF Morgan Elizabeth Jude Dulski. Of course, I don’t think that we have ever actually watched any part of the game before. Usually the parents are all up stares where the big TV is watching the football game, while the kids are down stairs with the game on but doing other things that are more fun. The adults always put money in for their bet about who is going to win, at the end it is always entertaining to see whomever one freak out with excitement and hear everyone yelling at each other. Mostly all of the teen boys at my house are interested in watching the game, the girls usually not. For example Morgan and I normally talk about way more important things rather than watching the game. This year we will probably battle each other in the Wii since how we just got it for Christmas! Every year it never fails, my mom will come down stairs and make kids come up to watch half time with the parents. We never care about half time either, to us it’s nothing special and we would much rather be having our conversations, which are much more important.  The best part of the entire occasion is the massive amount of delicious food. Every family that comes brings a dish to pass and they are always amazing dishes. I don’t even eat a main meal all day because there are always so many dishes to snack on. Super Bowl Sunday every year is always a good time, due to the fact that I am able to hang out with all of our family friends and enjoy my time with them!

FB!

Social networking has had a significant impact on my life. The main social networking that I use is Facebook. I used to be a member of Myspace when I was in middle school; however I never use this social networking site anymore. Facebook is the most current and popular networking system. It is a very good way to get informed with all of the new drama that is going on in Alden. It is also very entertaining and fits into my schedule almost as a daily activity. It’s like a routine, go to school, go to cheerleading, come home, and then before bed check my Facebook. When my friends and I have sleepovers, Facebook is always right there with us! I can’t remember the last time that we have had a sleepover and not gone on Facebook to check everything out and see if anything new was happening. I don’t have many negative views on this social networking site. Yes, I do spend a portion of my time a day on this website; however I find it to be highly beneficial. I feel that it is so cool that I am able to be friends with people on it from across the world. Because of the creation of Facebook, I am able to easily stay in contact with my relatives from out of state whom I normally wouldn’t. Occasionally I text my cousins, but Facebook allows me to stay in contact with my aunts and uncles as well, and to see right away what they are up to and if there is anything new and exciting going on in their lives. I also love Facebook because I am able to more frequently keep in touch with my best friend who moved to Georgia, due to the fact that she doesn’t use her cell phone. Facebook has most definitely taken over a part of my life whether I realize it or not, however, I do not necessarily find this to be a negative impact. Social networking in general has impacted many individuals’ lives.

2010!

2010 has been a very successful and thrilling year for me. Although it has had its perks, like anything else I experienced multiple down falls. Right after the new year I signed up for my driving test. Although I was about to pass out while I was driving, I thankfully passed my test on the first try and was now a free woman to roam around with my friends.  In the beginning of the year the basketball cheerleading team was very successful at their competitions, which was a great way to start the year off. I also fortunate enough to go on vacation in the month of April to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with Mike and his family. This was a very memorable experience that I am so happy I was able to be a part of. During this year I was also fortunate enough to be on the Prom Court. Prom itself was a great time in my life that I have experienced. In 2010 I also became the President of Student congress. This was such an honor to me because it was something that I really wanted and knew I would enjoy being involved with. 2010 was also the year that I completed my junior year and was ready to move onto my final year of high school.  After high school in the summer I got my first job at the Alden Recreation Program. I loved this job because I was able to be around children and entertain them, so that they would have a memorable summer. During the summer I also enjoyed spending quality time with my friends who were seniors and were going off to college. After summer was over and we returned back to school I was accepted into two colleges of my choice, Daemen College and Medaille College and was given the Presidential Scholarship to both. I experienced so many other memories and great times that year. All in all, 2010 was a year to remember.