Cheerleaders That Could kick Your Ass!

Madison's male cheerleaders kick down stereotypes in a post- "Bring it On" world

Story by: Felicia Dougherty
Photo by: Alex Vessels

Cheerleader, a leader of cheers. A spirited person. A blonde in a short shirt. A male fantasy. The stereotype of ditzy, perky and cute little girls jumping around yelling “go team” does not apply to the fiercely competitive world of college cheerleading. Cheerleaders in college are finely tuned athletes who execute technically difficult stunts and routines flawlessly. Many students may not notice the cheerleaders at the games or you may just check out the girls, but at JMU, it’s not just girls that lead us, but hunky, ripped guys. These guys do not fit the stereotype of campy male cheerleaders, featured in such mainstream movies as “Bring It On.”

“I always get asked the question, ‘are the guy cheerleaders gay’... I am always very disappointed to hear these types of comments because all of the guys work very hard lifting and working out everyday,” sophomore cheerleader Jacklyn Marsano said. “They don’t deserve the reputation of ‘being gay.’ They are all normal guys with normal lives. I think the stereotype is formed when wimpy guys couldn’t do what thes strong cheerleaders guys can — in expression of their jealousy.”

How does one become a male cheerleader? Why would one want to become a male cheerleader? If I were a guy, it would be for the girls, but we’re not talking about me. Many of the guys on the team were asked to come check out what it’s like or knew someone that was involved. Most of the guys were introduced to the sport once they got to college. Sophomore Art Budich, the self-described “Italian stallion” pointed out,

“They don’t have male cheerleaders in New York.” Budich started cheering his sophomore year after a current female cheerleader asked him if he was interested in joining the team. I think it’s safe to say that if a girl was asking you to spend more time with her, you would join too. None of the guys now on the cheerleading squad were cheerleaders in high school; they stuck to the typical “jock” sports like football, wrestling and lacrosse.

Many people do not realize the amount of time that these athletes put into being a cheerleader. I know it seems silly that long practice hours are a must when everyone thinks that you just clap and yell, but that’s just not true. I speak from experience — yes, I was a cheerleader in high school. It is not as easy as it looks. The team practices about twelve hours a week in addition to three hours of weightlifting. All the guys on the team go beyond those hours adding on an average of eight hours of individual lifting and cardio workouts. Senior Paul Vutiprichar, who recently appeared in two issues of Muscle and Fitness magazine, extends himself to 10 to 15 hours a week of lifting and cardio workouts. All the guys on the team can bench anywhere from 240 pounds, the lowest, to 395 pounds, the highest, lifted by the strong senior Nick Salerno. A male cheerleader has to be able hold an average weight of a 115-lb. girl with one hand above their head and not drop her. That is not only strength but also skill and technique.

Cheerleading involves a lot of teamwork. The girls trust their lives with their stunting partner. They both have to trust each other completely to be able to perform the difficult and dangerous stunts. So far this year no girl has hit the floor.

All of the time the cheeleaders spend together evokes a family-like atmosphere. Salerno, sophomore Adam Weiss and Budich all live together. Most of the team hangs out on the weekends and eats meals together during the week.

When spending so much time with each other, the question arises if romantic relationships develop between the girls and the guys. Budich commented that “They [romantic relationships] are not encouraged.” If they do come about they are not brought into practice. Weiss agreed, “They never interfere.” That is not to say that the close quarters don’t bring about tiffs between the sexes.

All of the guys are involved with other activities on campus ranging from fraternities to SGA. Junior Matt Stuver is a perfect example. Not only is he a cheerleader, he is in a fraternity and he is an accomplished musician.

Spending time with the guys and seeing the work they put into cheerleading, you put aside the stereotypes. Being around them reminded me of the average guys that spend way too much time together. They know intimate details about each other; they talk shit to each other’s faces and just act like a bunch of smelly boys. The guys realize that many people don’t view them as athletes since many people do not consider cheerleading a sport. Senior Brad Palmer was asked if he considers himself an athlete, he said, “Yes, a combo of physical fitness, athleticism and team work.” Budich points out “speed, strength and ultimate trust with each other” are also contributing factors.

Overall, I think guy cheerleaders get a lot a crap from people for no reason. “People under estimate how much skill it takes.” Vutiprichar says. These guys work hard, train hard, and master difficult skills. With that said, I would like to say that any guy who could theoretically lift my fat ass above their head and not drop me on my head is pretty kick-ass in my book. .