Sports Editor
John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” has inspired many athletes. This year, it has inspired the Colorado Mesa University cheer team.
“Coach Athena [Whaley] showed us the pyramid of success,” Junior cheer captain Jessica Casebolt said. “We’re a young team this year and the pyramid of success keeps us motivated.”
This year, there are over 50 members on the squad, with the cheerleaders divided up into a small, coed team and a larger, girls-only team. The majority of the squad is underclassmen. Casebolt said that even though the squad is young, it is overflowing with talent.
“It seems like there is more upcoming talent than there has been in years past,” Casebolt said. “Everybody has promise on our team. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be here.”
Casebolt believes that the Pyramid of Success is exemplified in every CMU cheerleader, and the underclassmen already show signs of promise.
“One of the elements of the Pyramid is confidence,” Casebolt said. “There is no such thing as a timid cheerleader. Successful cheerleaders are fearless. These girls are fearless.”
Another important facet of the Pyramid of Success is alertness. In cheerleading, a loss of focus can lead to serious injury.
“There is more to cheerleading injuries than sprained ankles,” Casebolt said. “If you get hurt, you get hurt badly. Focus is the key to avoiding injury.”
Although many of these traits on the Pyramid are crucial, sophomores Chris Nelson and Keith Retuyan believe industriousness is the most important.
“All aspects of cheer relate to industriousness,” Nelson said. We support other teams as well as supporting eachother. It’s what cheer is all about.”
As a whole, the cheerleading squad takes competition very seriously.
“As a family, cheer is very competitive,” Retuyan said. “Now that we are a university, it’s a big deal.”
“We want to do amazing at nationals,” Nelson said. “We want to show everyone that we are legit.”
dlmeyer@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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