Although the skies were cloudy, rain was drizzling outside and it seemed to be an average Sunday in Fredonia, the atmosphere was quite a bit different at Steele Hall on the campus of SUNY Fredonia.
Ninety cheer and dance teams were cordially invited to take part in the annual Blue Devils Classic Cheer and Dance Competition. Cheer and dance teams of all ages came from as far away as Horseheads and Pennsylvania to take part in what proved to be a friendly and healthy competition for youth of all skill levels.
Competition organizer and coach to Blue Devils Cheerleaders, Katie Pucci-Schaefer noted "This is a 12-month sport."
"Starting in the spring, cheerleaders typically go to camp, learn new skills and choreography and practice on a constant basis to get better. Cheerleading is not a standard sports season."
Pucci-Schaefer has been involved at all levels of cheer and dance for a number of years. A Blue Devils cheerleader herself, she has coached the squad for 11 years and has led them to four top-ten placements at the Universal Cheerleading Association College Championships.
At the All Girl II Division, the Blue Devils cheerleaders have consistently placed at the top in competition with a majority of NCAA Division II squads, a statistic she references proudly.
An annual event, Pucci-Schaefer describes the competition as a more of "a festival" based on the number of vendors and the size of the crowds filling Steele Hall.
Cheerleading's growing popularity over the years has been attributed to a few things, she stated. "This is not your mother's cheerleading squad," she stated.
"I think it has to do with the positive influence it has on young men and women's participation, self esteem building and the amount of athleticism involved that has allowed cheerleading to develop into a sport."
As a cheerleading, dance and gymnastics coach, and the organizer for this event, one of her favorite parts of the competition is watching the area youth interact with one another on a positive playing field. One of the highlights she looks forward to is watching the SubZero Flurries Special Needs team compete. "I enjoy watching them, as this is an opportunity for self esteem building for them."
A Buffalo-based team, the SubZero Flurries captured every eye as they performed, and according to their official website, www.subzeroallstars.com, the team offers any age group the chance to build teamwork, confidence, commitment, pride, leadership and fitness.
These are aspects of cheer and dance that were echoed by Chautauqua County parents who take part in their children's' cheer and dance experience.
Lucinda Wares-Nicosia, of Fredonia, started her day early with her daughter Izzi, who performs for Collage Performing Arts Center.
"I love watching her dance," she said of her daughter, who has been dancing for eight years.
"Dance and cheer teach responsibility, and how to be a leader, and the team building skills are out this world," she noted.
In her senior year at Fredonia High School, Izzi plans to cheer and dance at a college level and is currently pursuing tryouts for three prospective colleges in Florida, where she plans to attend.
As Lucinda helped assemble hair accessories for the Collage team members, she stated she will miss the close bonds she has formed during Izzi's dance experience at Collage once she is competing at college level.
"We have formed a lot of close bonds, we're like a family," she noted.
She also noted that the Blue Devils Classic is the first competition of the New Year, and the Collage teams will be heading to the Universal Dance Association National Championships at Walt Disney World in Orlando in the next two weeks.
"After nationals, there are a lot of competitions throughout the year," she stated.
"But they enjoy what they do. They wouldn't be involved in it if they didn't."
Only recently recognized as a sport, cheerleading has been regarded in the past with several stereotypes, which Wares-Nicosia acknowledged and responded to.
"Obviously, there's going to be stereotypes," she stated, "but if you watch these teams and see the athleticism and the skill and technique it takes to perfect every piece, it takes a lot of energy, precision, dedication on behalf of the performers and great coaches, and that disproves it all."
Wares-Nicosia filled many roles throughout the day as the competition progressed, from assisting with hairpieces, adjusting hairstyles, helping with costumes, and cheering on the teams. Team parents take care of assisting with hairpieces, costumes, hair and make-up and ensuring that the dancers have all parts to their costumes.
"Cheer and dance is a setting where girls can be girls, and enjoy being girls" she noted.
Also helping their teams to prepare for the floor was Westfield mother, Tammy Wojiechowski, who was there with her daughter Mariah.
Positive aspects of competition that Wojiechowski sees in her daughter's and her teammates' participation is "the chance to give them more self esteem and confidence in themselves and the opportunity to meet other young adults from other communities that they wouldn't normally have a chance to meet."
Mariah, a sophomore at Westfield Academy and Central School, and her mother reside in Westfield, but travel to Fredonia for practices every day except for Thursdays and Sundays. She noted Mariah has met and formed friendships with girls from Forestville and Silver Creek as a result of their dance experience at Collage.
Commitment to performing includes being able to drive to practice daily, and saving evenings and weekends for practices or competitions.
"Mariah never wanted to try any other sports," stated Wojiechowski.
Wojiechowski has traveled to Chicago, Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for competitions with Mariah, who would also like to compete at the college level, and possibly pursue dance therapy for autistic children as a career.
Even though cheerleading comes with potential risks of injury, a few of which were experienced at the Classic, Wojiechowski stated the positives of being involved in the sport outweigh the potential risks.
"Competitions allow people to see that it's a sport, and that they're (competitors) dedicated and willing to practice," she stated.
"I'm absolutely pleased with her choosing this as a sport. She doesn't need to have cliques, or boyfriends or anything else at this point. Performing makes them responsible, they have to learn early on that they need all of their parts to be able to go out and perform. If one person is missing a hair piece, then all of the girls go without the hair piece. If it's an accessory, then everyone takes off that accessory. If there's a costume missing, then they don't go out," stated Wojiechowski.
"It makes them responsible for themselves and their team mates, and shows them they can do it on their own," she concluded.
Risk of injury does worry her, as she was standing nearby when team members carried a cheerleader from another squad to the judge's stand for medical attention. Especially she states, as Mariah is usually placed at the top of any stunts.
But, she added, "That's where practice comes in."
"As a bottom stunter, you learn that your top person should never hit the floor," she stated. She added that she has seen bottom stunters from other teams throw themselves to the mat to protect the top stunter from the brunt of the fall.
She still agrees that the positive parts of competing outweigh the risk of falls and other injuries.
"If she's not dancing, she's bored," she said of Mariah.
"There are too much out there for kids to get hooked up with," she added.
11 year old Savia Moreland of Brocton, who was there to compete as part of a dance team from Danza Performing Arts, stated her favorite part of competing is "the costumes."
Ten percent of each team's registration fees were donated to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.
SUNY Fredonia will also be hosting a UCA Summer Day Camp for area youth August 19 -21. For more information, or to register for this camp, please contact NYS Regional Sales Director of UCA Casey Risi at 866-541-6763.
Photo captions:
030.JPG The Hott Shot Senior Cheer/Dance Team shows their skills to an excited crowd during the Blue Devils Classic Cheer and Dance Competition Sunday.
035.JPG The Blaze Co-Ed All Star Team showcased their hard work and dedication as part of the Blue Devils Classic Cheer and Dance Competition on Sunday.
041.JPG The SubZero Flurries Special Needs Cheer Team gave the crowd a reason to cheer as they competed at the Blue Devils Classic Cheer and Dance Competition on Sunday.
043.JPG Lucinda Wares-Nicosia makes some last minute adjustments to her daughter Izzi's hair during the Blue Devils Classic Cheer and Dance Competition, held on Sunday.
055.JPG Jazz dancers from Danza Performing Arts gave a shining example of precision and hard work during the Blue Devils Classic Cheer and Dance Competition on Sunday.
