Cheerleaders get ‘rahs’ from national group

Deirdre Newman

With clenched teeth, Costa Mesa High School cheerleader McCall

Marshall dug her feet into the palms of two other cheerleaders and

let herself be hoisted up to strike a “liberty” pose. Then she let

herself fall into the arms of her two teammates as they caught her in

a cradle position.

And this was only the first day of summer cheerleading camp.

McCall’s trust in her fellow cheerleaders is a testament to the

teamwork that Coach Jennifer Roark says is a hallmark of the squad.

It’s also one of the main reasons why the team was chosen as the

feature squad of the month for the Web site of a national

cheerleading association in July.

“Everyone has to work together and if everyone puts their

differences aside, it makes it better,” said Genny Lord, 16.

Their teamwork enabled them to do two major community service

events last year that impressed Varsity Spirit, the largest

cheerleading association in the United States: holding a carwash to

raise money for the Matthew Colby Memorial Scholarship, in honor of a

Costa Mesa High football player who died last year, and sending

stuffed animals to Cantor Fitzgerald, a former World Trade

Center-based company and the Washington, D.C., public schools after

the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

“I think community service was the most important [criteria], and

isn’t that what athletics is supposed to teach kids anyway -- about

teamwork?” Roark said.

Roark came to the school four years ago when the cheerleading

program was plagued with inconsistency and lack of direction. She

said she turned the program around by focusing on trust and

leadership.

“When both parents work, you become the only person that child

sees and you need to take your job very seriously and kids need to

trust you, and giving them good leadership skills is the most

important thing,” Roark said. “Making them a better person is what I

want them to get out of it.

Roark applied to be chosen as a feature squad in the spring and

focused on the squad’s community service and awards -- the varsity

squad won first place in its division in a regional competition in

Arizona during the school year.

The coach learned in July that her squad was only the second one

chosen as the Feature Squad of the Month.

“I was excited,” Roark said. “I don’t focus a whole lot on

competition.... This is something we did as a team.”

Roark was able to get the good news out to the 28 members of her

squad through the booster club newsletter.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” McCall said. “We’ve gone beyond the

normal things cheerleaders do.”

After the emotional experiences of the last school year, Roark

said this year she is making performance more of a priority than

competition.

“The kids already told me if they are going to compete, they want

it to be fun,” Roark said.