Congratulations to the members of the 2010-2011 Harvard cheer squad!

After a two day tryout clinic which brought over 30 Harvard Students to Gordon Indoor Track hoping for a spot on the 2010-2011 team, the Harvard Cheerleading Program is excited to announce the new squad comprised of 21 student athletes! Thank you to all those who came out for the squad, and congrats to those that made the team!
Captains:

• Jasmine Bolton ('11)
• Tian Wen ('11)

Members:

• Avery Acuff ('14)
• Angie Allen ('11)
• Tiffany Au ('12)
• Michael Bachmann ('12)
• Maria Bendana ('14)
• Zavier Catoe ('12)
• Ha Le ('14)
• Michelle Matsuba ('14)
• Lauren Gabriel ('14)
• Charuta Gavankar ('13)
• Gabby Malatesta ('13)
• Trisha Mathelier ('13)
• Allyson McGinty ('13)
• Angie Morales ('13)
• Jonathan Oakes ('13)
• Liz Paisner ('12)
• Jacquell Sneed-Adams ('14)
• Brecia Young ('13)

Harvard Cheerleading Goes to Nationals
By Alexandra J. Mihalek - April 11, 2011

When asked about my trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, where the Harvard Cheerleading team recently competed at the NCA Collegiate Cheerleading Championships, one question kept popping up—“So, that was just like Bring It On, right?”

Unfortunately, watching Kirsten Dunst and Gabriella Union do cheer battle is the only contact that many of my peers have had with the sport of cheerleading.  And although I have seen that movie an absurd amount of times, as an eight-year competitive cheerleader, I can confidently say that many aspects of the blockbuster Bring It On are completely false.

Nationals was not one of those things.

Cheerleaders had truly invaded Daytona Beach, and the main boulevard was overrun with high ponytails and extreme stunting.  This was what every collegiate team had worked an entire year for—the one chance to put everything out on that competition mat.

For our squad, Nationals had an extra layer of meaning.  Although Harvard made it’s first appearance at NCA Nationals last year—the first Ivy League team to ever attend the competition—we were still bombarded with the classic, “Wait, Harvard has a cheerleading squad?”  Nationals was a chance to show the world that Harvard had stepped onto the competitive collegiate cheerleading scene once and for all.
This goal was attained; however, it was not reached easily.
As a very young team—ten of the twenty squad members had never competed at Nationals before—stepping onto the mat amidst the flashing lights and thousands of spectators allowed nerves to get the best of our squad.  While I wish this hadn’t been the case, our routine at preliminaries was far from our best performance.  Between balks in tumbling to fallen stunts, we walked off of the mat disappointed.  After countless hours logged in the gym and days devoted to fundraising for this trip, we hadn’t proved anything.

Somehow, in the course of a few hours, all of that changed.

After preliminaries, teams compete in the Challenge Cup to try to gain a spot in the next day’s finals.  At this competition, our squad finally came out ready to wow.
The flashing lights, smoke and music acted as a prelude to Harvard cheerleading’s perfect routine.  Every stunt hit and every tumbling pass was nailed—something we had not achieved in a competition yet that season.  At that moment, everything was worth it.  The time, the pain and the far-too-frequent blunt head traumas had all led to that feeling of success, and to the knowledge that we had helped to raise the bar for Ivy League cheerleading.

As a graduating senior who has finally retired her pon-poms (yes, that’s actually how it’s spelled), NCA Nationals was the icing on top of a very delicious cake.  The Harvard cheerleading squad has cemented its role as a competitive team, and I can only imagine the great places that this new and burgeoning team will go.

Harvard Cheerleaders Receive a Bid to the 2010 NCA National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships!!! - December 22, 2009

After three months of hard work putting a bid tape together, the Harvard Cheerleading Team's sweat has paid off as the National Cheerleaders Association has awarded the squad with a bid to the 2010 NCA National Collegiate Cheerleading Championships! This will be the second time Harvard has made the trip to this prestigious National competition and we look forward to improving upon our 7th place finish in the 2009 event. Nationals take place in Daytona Beach, FL April 7th-10th.

We are currently working hard fundraising for this trip and we are half way there. This is a once in a life time chance to pave the road for future Harvard (as well as all Ivy League) cheerleading squads - but we still need to raise the funds in order to go! Every little bit helps and if you are as excited about the progress this team has made and want to help us achieve this goal - please donate to our friends account! You can click here to access the online giving and your donation is not only tax-deductible but will also go a long way to making our dream a reality! If you have any questions or suggestions on other ways to help us raise money, please contact us directly at cheer@hcs.harvard.edu - we are open to all ideas!

2nd Annual Friends, Family & Alumni Event!

The 2009-2010 Cheerleading Team hosted its 2nd Annual Friends, Family & Alumni Event on October 17, 2009. This year we welcomed back over 50 loyal fans for an informal meet and greet with the current squad. Alumni cheerleaders even joined the current squad right on the sidelines cheering on the Crimson! The event more than doubled in size from its debut last year, and it was amazing getting to meet the friends and family that get behind us 100% during the season!

Please contact us at cheer@hcs.harvard.edu if you wish to be added to contact list for more information regarding next year's event. We hope you can all make it back to campus to join us in coming years!

Congratulations to the members of the 2009-2010 Harvard cheer squad!

After a two day tryout clinic which brought over 30 Harvard Students to Gordon Indoor Track hoping for a spot on the 2009-2010 team, the Harvard Cheerleading Program is excited to announce the new squad comprised of 21 student athletes! Thank you to all those who came out for the squad, and congrats to those that made the team!
Captains:

• Alexandra Mihalek ('10), Geoff Oberhofer ('10), Cassandra Snow ('10)

Members:

• Linda Chao ('10)
• Stella Barth ('10)
• Jasmine Bolton ('11)
• Tian Wen ('11)
• Liz Paisner ('12)
• Olga Tkachenko ('12)
• Michael Bachmann ('12)
• Zavier Catoe ('12)
• Angie Morales ('13)
• Brecia Young ('13)
• Allyson McGinty ('13)
• Charuta Gavankar ('13)
• Gabby Malatesta ('13)
• Trisha Mathelier ('13)
• Jonathan Oakes ('13)

Harvard Cheerleaders place 7th at NCA College Nationals Debut

April 11, 2009 - Daytona Beach, FL - The Harvard Cheerleading team made history this year as the first team in the program's history to travel to the NCA College Cheerleading National Championships. The squad competed against the top Division 1 Cheerleading programs in the country and was proud to walk away with a 7th place overall finish and a 3rd place finish in the Challenge Cup. Aside from the competition, the squad was asked to participate in a photo shoot for American Cheerleader magazine and will be featured in an upcoming issue. Team members had an opportunity to both compete against and mingle with some of the best cheerleaders in the nation, and the experience has brought Harvard cheerleading to a new level. The cheerleading community was excited to see that Harvard not only had the best academics in the nation, but also had a strong and talented cheer squad - and we are excited to return next year to improve upon our 7th place finish! Congrats to the members of the 2008-2009 squad who made this historical debut appearance!

Harvard Cheerleading Recognition!

On December 11, 2008, the three senior captains of the Harvard Cheerleading Squad were recognized by the All-American Football Association for their contribution to Harvard Athletics. The event was held at the Newton Marriott and was a Black-Tie affair. Lucas Toffoli, Christi Butler and Devon Hein each received a plaque for their achievements and had the opportunity to address the attendees and further promote the work they do as members of the Harvard Cheerleading Squad. This was a great honor both for them as well as for our program and we congratulate them on their achievements as members of the squad!

Harvard Cheerleading honored as Pop Warner Collegiate Spotlight

The Harvard Cheerleading squad and the Dance Team have been selected as the collegiate Spotlight by the Pop Warner Association. Each month Pop Warner selects a different collegiate program to highlight in an effort to get athletes involved in Cheerleading excited about continuing the sport in college. Please click here to read the interview given by Coach Capasso.

Harvard Cheerleaders approved for Minor H designation

December 16, 2008 - After a 4 month approval process, the various boards at Harvard University have unanimously agreed to give the members of the Harvard Cheerleading team offiical recognition in the form of the Minor H. This designation is given to Junior Varsity athletes and after a petition filed in September the boards have recognized the hard work the members of the cheerleading team put in and have extended this recognition to them as well.
In order to be eligible for a Minor H, team members must abide be the guidelines laid out in the proposal which include game attendance, competition participation and community service. At the end of each year the coach will submit a list of candidates that have satisfied the requirements for Minor H and these candidates will be awarded their letter. With this honor comes access to the Varisty Club and its various resources, access to certain on campus facilities reserved only for athletes, and the ability to obtain a Major H or Varsity letter upon completion of four years of participation on the cheerleading squad.
Harvard Athletic Director Bob Scalise first suggested this idea to the squad and with the hard work of Coach Kristin Capasso, the team members and the athletic department staff, we have succeeded in gaining this recognition which is yet another step forward in futhering the success of the program. Congrats to all team members for this opportunity!

THE GAME
11/17/07 – The Harvard cheerleaders traveled with the football team down to Yale University for the 124th playing of The Game. The Crimson pounded the Bulldogs to the tune of 37-6 but the action did not stop with the whistle. At the start of halftime, one drunken Yalie boldly attempted to steal the Harvard Flag from the sidelines in front of the cheerleaders. He was quickly pursued by five Harvard Cheerleaders; Captains Amanda McCoy (’08) and Danielle Rutherford (’08) as well as Robbie Helbling (’11), Geoff Oberhofer (’10) and Lucas Toffoli (’09). The Yalie was gang tackled on the 20 yard line and the flag was swiftly taken from his grips while the males pinned him to the ground awaiting arrest. Captains McCoy and Rutherford quickly returned to the sidelines proudly waving the Harvard flag and showing the crowd yet again who the best team in the Ivy League truly is.

Lesson of the day: If you mess with the cheerleaders, be prepared to pay the price.

(note: both this Yalie and a second Yalie who attempted the same ploy in the 4th quarter in front of several event security and police officers (he failed to make it ten feet) were arrested and taken off the field in handcuffs.)

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Harvard Crimson Magazine FM - April 23, 2008

ESPN.com – November 19, 2007

Harvard Crimson – November 17, 2007 – Live Blog – Brad Hinshelwood
“Halftime: A Yale student tries to take the Harvard flag, only to be caught and absolutely pummeled by several cheerleaders before security escorts him off.”

Harvard Makes its competition debut and places 3rd at NCA Regionals (1999)

The growth of cheerleading at Harvard (1982)

Radcliffe women take court cheering on Basketball team marking the first time in Harvard History that women were allowed to be cheerleaders – they were nicknamed “The Cliffies” (1970)

Harvard rules on use of Women as cheerleaders (1952)

Harvard Cheerleading “competition” for males interesting in joining the team (1925)