Up in the air

Coral Wilson

Emily Brown froze in place, her arms reached stiffly in the air, her

hands clenched into tight balls and her mouth formed a worried circle

of surprise. Held in mid-air, supported by her feet and legs, the

5-year-old looked down at her four friends below.

It’s all part of becoming a cheerleader. The 4- to 6-year-old

children participating in the Dance Stars cheerleading camp at the

Murdy Community Center in Huntington Beach were well on their way.

“Want to go all the way up?” asked Cherise Gnegy, 16-year-old

coach and Edison High School student.

Hardly daring to move, Emily responded with an insistent, “No,

no.”

“I’ll catch you if you fall,” Emily’s 6-year-old sister, Avonlea

Brown, said with reassurance.

The four girls pushed Emily up by her feet, raising her small body

even higher above the ground. Following with a cradle stunt, Emily

was pushed up and over, falling lightly into the girls’ arms. Once

again, she was back on the ground.

“That was cool. that was fun,” Emily said. “I feel like I want to

do it again.”

And up she went again.

Three days into a five-day camp, the girls were starting to pick

up confidence, basic techniques, cheers, jumps, verbiage and dreams

of becoming a cheerleader.

Cheerleading gives children coordination, exercise and

self-esteem, said Kelly Higgens, area director for the Dance Stars.

“We are very positive with the kids,” she said. “We are always

encouraging them that every kid can do it.”

The 1996 graduate of Edison High School was a cheerleader all four

years of high school. She said the best part about the experience was

the friendships she made.

“My best friends I have now, we were all cheerleaders,” Higgens

said. “And now I am coaching my best friend’s little girl.”

Several older children also joined the camp for the day for extra

practice.

“I love jumping, screaming, being with your friends and making

others feel better,” Alexandra McCue, 11, said. “[Cheerleaders]

support the team when they are winning and when they are losing. It

doesn’t matter.”

But after four hours of fun, screams, cartwheels and dancing, the

children became tired and restless. The sun took its toll on

6-year-old Gabrielle Mendez, who retreated next to coach Tamara

Green’s feet.

“Just 15 more minutes, then you can go home and sleep all day,”

Gnegy said.

But the 6-year-old had a busy summer schedule.

“No, I have a swim lesson,” Gabrielle said.

The three coaches ended the session with the traditional

children’s game of telephone.

“We are super, spirited cheerleaders,” Higgens whispered in the

first girl’s ear.

But by the time the message got to the other end of the circle, it

was simply, “We are super.”

* CORAL WILSON is a news assistant who covers education. She can

be reached at (714) 965-7177 or by e-mail at

coral.wilson@latimes.com.