The Gryphon cheerleading team has tumbled, flipped and lifted its way to becoming national champions. Over the last year, the squad has earned the top spot in numerous cheerleading competitions against universities and colleges across Canada and the United States.
“We had a successful season last year, and that has really helped to build up our reputation,” says Cari-Ann Young, head coach of the U of G team since 2010. “We have become a highly competitive team, and we are on the path to becoming even better.”
The team cheers at every home Gryphon football game and occasionally travels to away games. See them next when the Gryphons host the York Lions at 7 p.m. Oct. 4.
But when the football season is over, the cheerleaders switch their focus to competitions.
U of G has two cheerleading teams: an all-girls team made up of 36 athletes and a co-ed team that consists of two men and 34 women.
“Most universities only have one team, but we decided to go with two, because we have had so many students with phenomenal talent come to try outs,” says Young. Their fall boot camp and try outs draw more than 80 cheerleaders.
The two teams practice three times a week and participate in three competitions during the year. They compete at the Power Cheerleading Athletics Nationals and the Cheer Evolution Nationals, where they are up against Canadian university and college teams. At the Cheer Ltd. Nationals, they contend against teams from across North America.
Last year the all-girls team captured first place at all three competitions, and the co-ed team grabbed the top spot at the Cheer Evolution Nationals and Cheer Ltd. Nationals.
Many of their competition routines are posted on YouTube.
“Laurier and Western are our biggest competition in the all-girl division and are usually at the top of the pack, but this past year we beat them,” says Young. “We have really grown as a team over the last couple of years.”
Cheerleading is a sport that requires skills in dance, gymnastics and acrobatics, explains Young, who has 17 years of experience as a competitive cheerleader and coach. “You have to be athletic. We do a lot of inversions where girls are being tossed into the air. There is also a lot of floor work where cheerleaders are doing back handsprings and flips.”
A majority of the team members have previous cheerleading experience, “although we do have a few members who just pick up the sport really quickly,” she adds.
Hannah Hyland, who is now in her fourth year as a Gryphon cheerleader, had seven years of competitive cheerleading under her belt before joining the U of G squad. “Cheerleading is not only great exercise, but it forces you to constantly push yourself and make new goals for yourself,” says Hyland, who is studying animal biology. “To be a good cheerleader you need to be fit and flexible, but even more importantly, you need to be open to trying new things. Cheerleading is a dangerous sport, and the best cheerleaders are the ones who aren’t afraid to try a new stunt or push themselves to try a new tumbling line.”
Hyland says she enjoys the challenges that come with cheerleading and the emphasis on working as a team. “There are not many sports that force people to rely so heavily on other team members. If one person doesn’t come to practice, there are whole parts of the routine that we aren’t able to do even though the 35 other team members are present,” she says. “We are also constantly lifting people, and there needs to be trust or else we won’t be able to accomplish anything.”
Young reinforces that being a member of the cheerleading team requires extreme dedication. The team practices throughout the year, including summer, and members have to cover most of the cost of competitions. The majority of Ontario university cheerleading teams don’t have varsity status, but are recognized as school clubs and receive minimal funding, she says.
“Our cheerleaders are very committed to the sport.” She says the athletes come to practice and put in all their energy, because they don’t want to let the team down: “It’s like we are a family.”