Collegian | Michael Giles
Senior Colorado State College cheerleaders Kaiya Jenkins, Juan Barreras, Savannah Woods and Bianca Gonzalez smile for a bunch picture after finishing one in every of their remaining practices earlier than their 2021-22 season ends, Feb. 14. This follow was held on the Glenn Morris Discipline Home on Faculty Avenue in Fort Collins.
March 2, 2022
Whereas solely various video games stay to cheer at for the Colorado State College cheer group, the senior cheerleaders are leaving their poms and uniforms with rather more than simply bodily athleticism and endurance.
The seniors on this group haven’t solely proven an unbelievable quantity of management and enthusiastic spirit whereas on the sidelines of video games but additionally the place it issues most: their group practices. As these seniors illuminate our scholar sections and sports activities groups with power, it’s time to shine a light-weight on the seniors who’re a part of making our arenas glow with spirit.
There are 4 seniors on the CSU 2021-22 cheerleading group, every bringing one thing particular to their total group spirit. The 4 senior cheerleaders are Juan Barreras, Savannah Woods, Bianca Gonzalez and Kaiya Jenkins.
“The legacy I wish to go away behind is that range is all the pieces, and so long as you set your thoughts to it, there’s nothing you possibly can’t do.” -Juan Barreras, CSU senior cheerleader
As their time as CSU Ram cheerleaders involves an in depth, they’re positive to take the teachings they’ve discovered from this group with them into their new chapters of life exterior of school.
Barreras, who’s learning social work at Colorado State, has loved his time and dedication to the CSU cheer group. He’s one in every of two male cheerleaders on the group and hopes to go away behind a legacy rooted within the significance of range and inclusion.
“I simply need individuals to have a look at me and imagine that they will additionally do that,” Barreras stated. “I don’t need them to assume that they will’t accomplish their goals simply because any individual on the market that doesn’t seem like them is doing what they need they may do. The legacy I wish to go away behind is that range is all the pieces, and so long as you set your thoughts to it, there’s nothing you possibly can’t do.”
Whereas this can be a beneficial legacy to go away behind, Barreras additionally stated he hopes he may be an inspiration to others, encouraging them to completely embrace and be the very best model of themselves.
On the notion of embracing variations, one of many largest takeaways enterprise administration main Gonzalez stated she gained from her group and time as a cheerleader is easy methods to work cohesively with a various vary of individuals.
In 4 years as a scholar and three years as a cheerleader on the CSU group, in addition to cheering for a number of years, Gonzalez has had the chance to work with all kinds of individuals.
“It’s confirmed me a number of good values and easy methods to be a great group participant in addition to a great group chief,” Gonzalez stated. “I hope to go away behind that I used to be a great chief and a great pal exterior of cheer too and that I wasn’t right here only for the uniform or for the skirt — that I used to be right here as a result of I really like this sport and I really like the group of individuals right here that we work with, and I simply hope that they really feel impressed or motivated by me as an individual in and outdoors of cheer.”
Gonzalez is hopeful that as she enters the workforce, she is effectively ready to work with individuals of varied backgrounds from her experiences on the group. She stated she feels ready to assist deal with issues that she could encounter with individuals of various backgrounds by means of kindhearted relationships.
Jenkins has typically discovered herself impressed by Gonzalez and her management on the group.
“I’ve by no means met somebody who works as onerous as she does,” Jenkins stated. “She handles battle decision very well, and he or she’s an incredible chief on the group.”
For different seniors on the group, they’ve discovered their progress from cheering at CSU to be extra inside by means of the teachings and experiences they’ve had. Woods, a fourth-year scholar learning sociology with a focus in legal justice, stated she has gained a powerful sense of loyalty and respect for her teammates and coaches.
“I’ve at all times been actually loyal to this group, and so they’ve at all times been loyal to me, so having that respect and being loyal to teach Daybreak (Burton) and one another is like, you understand; you don’t discover that quite a bit round campus,” Woods stated.
Jenkins, a fourth-year scholar learning household and shopper sciences, stated cheering at Colorado State helped break her out of her shell and acquire extra confidence in herself.
“Cheer actually helped me get out of my consolation zone and meet new individuals and in addition simply gave me a number of confidence in myself, like once we had been engaged on tumbling and issues like that which might be actually a private and inside battle,” Jenkins stated. “It has simply actually taught me that if I imagine in myself, then I can do no matter.”
Whereas cheer has helped Jenkins develop from inside right into a assured model of herself, she talked about that one of the vital constructive classes she hopes to deliver together with her as she leaves this cheer program is the significance of relationships.
“One factor I’ll take away with me might be that relationships are all the pieces — the connection you’ve got with your self and your interpersonal relationships,” Jenkins stated. “In the event you work on these, the remainder of your life thrives.”
Editor’s be aware: A earlier model of this text misidentified the CSU cheerleading group because the spirit squad, which additionally contains the CSU Golden Poms. The article has been edited to mirror this variation.
Attain Michael Giles at sports activities@collegian.com or on Twitter @Michaelrenee10.