Give them an 'R' for respect

Jessie Ali is the captain of DalCheer, which has brought cheerleading back to campus life. The squad practices Monday nights at the Studley Gym. (Nick Pearce Photo)

DalCheer captain Jessie Ali knows her sport is about more than just “give me a D.” Cheerleaders are athletes who are super strong and fit, not to mention gutsy.

“There are many people who I don’t think would be brave enough to be a cheerleader,” she explains.

There are, however, at least 30 sufficiently courageous volunteers at Dalhousie. New team members have been practicing together since mid-September.

“Coming from high school, there’s a lot to teach,” Ms. Ali says. “A lot of our girls have actually never cheered. But they’ve all done things like dance and gymnastics… we had a lot of talent at tryouts.”

Founded by Michelle Weger three years ago, now headed by Ms. Ali, DalCheer was ratified by the DSU for the first time this year. It’s left them ambitious—the team, previously a recreational outfit chiefly concerned with cheering at sports games, is now eying competition.

In March, DalCheer hopes to attend the Cheer Expo at the Halifax forum, an event attended by “hundreds of teams.” Unfortunately, DalCheer has never actually competed before. To prepare the squad, Ms. Ali has enlisted coaches to guide and teach choreography. In competition, DalCheer will showcase their hours of hard work in a mere two-and-a-half minute routine.

But she’s not intimidated – this is old hat to her. The cheerleader/cheer captain/general mastermind was cheerleading long before arriving at Dalhousie.

“This’ll be my ninth year now,” she says. “I started in the sixth grade, I was 11. It’s kind of been my passion.” The young gymnast joined Halifax’s Starlite All Stars, then the Halifax Cheer Elite. She’s now a “level-six” cheerleader, encouraged to execute the most difficult stunts.

“You can do higher level pyramids, harder baskets, harder tumbling,” she explains of the distinction. She’s also in her third year of a BA at Dalhousie, majoring in sociology and minoring in law, and plans to be a lawyer.

Well-spoken and bright, Ms. Ali has no patience for cheerleading’s detractors. “People just think that cheerleaders are uneducated because we wear skirts and cropped shirts.” But there’s a practical reason for the costuming. “A lot of stunts are held around her ankles, her knees, her feet. Part of the skirt is having that free.” As for the team’s upper half, “The crop top is something that’s kind of innovative for Nova Scotia. For loading into any stunt, you’re often holding the girl’s waist.”

The traditional costume does have its downsides: “We have no armor. We feel everything.” And, as in every sport, accidents do happen. “Last year they were trying a new stunt and a girl’s foot got broken.” But even as she recovered using crutches, she still made every practice and is now assistant captain.

Discussing cheerleading’s most famous accoutrement, Ms. Ali choses her words carefully. “Pompoms are more of an attention getter, a visual. The majority of competitive teams do not have pompoms.” Dalhousie will use the accessories, however, at least in their varsity performances. “It’s exciting, it’s visual, it completes the look.”