Spring Break
New addition to male athletics
An inside look into male cheerleaders, a new role for male athletes at Shorter
Caleb Carmean
Issue date: 3/27/09 Section: Sports
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The Hawk cheerleading squad is composed of both males and females, but the male cheerleading position is a new role for male athletics.
The interest in the sport for men is on the up-rise and more men are asking about how to join.
Nine men, five freshman, four sophomores and one junior make up half of the competitive co-ed cheerleading squad.
Recently Greg Eswine is the newest addition to the Shorter cheerleading squad who has joined after playing football for the Hawks for the past four seasons and has been playing since he was nine.
When asked why he joined the team Eswine said, "I want to stay active and not sit in my room all the time. I want to help pay for my school and this will help out."
Cheerleading is a way for students to be a part of a team and earn scholarships.
Shorter is prides itself to be one of the only private schools in the Southeast offering partial and full tuition cheerleading scholarships to males.
The stereotype for male cheerleaders is that they are not true athletes and that it is not a sport. However, here at Shorter, stereotyping of that sort is not really an issue.
Eswine said, "I hear a lot of people talking about it but when I mention I am a cheerleader they tend to change their ideals about the image." Eswine continued, "This is the first time ever I have attempted cheerleading so it is a learning experience but fun at the same time."
The acceptance of male cheerleaders around campus is evident.
Nick Gerstner, an advocate of the male cheerleaders, agrees that this opportunity is a "great chance to earn scholarships" along with hanging around "all the pretty girls."
Among the many positives to being a male cheerleader, the most prominent in many minds would be the fact that they get to spend a lot of time with the female cheerleaders, but there is more to it than that.
These males participate in a role which requires strength, agility and stamina among other skills. With their strength and agility these men are a true definition of "athlete" in every sense of the word.
Shorter will be holding cheerleading tryouts for the 2009-2010 seasons on May 1-3, 2009, in the Shorter College Winthrop King Center.
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