By The Carroll College Cheer Team made history in North Dakota this year by competing for the first time as an official NAIA team.
Cheerleading is a year-round sport. In addition to training through the summer and cheering for fall and winter teams, the Carroll program now has its own competition season. On Jan. 26, the Fighting Saints Cheer program began its new chapter as a recognized National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) team, by taking to the mat in Dickenson, North Dakota.
Elisabeth Lloyd, a sophomore nursing student from Helena, said that although it has been a steep learning-curve, it has also been an incredible learning experience for the 17-person cheer squad.
“The first year as an official NAIA team has been a roller coaster, but it has been so much fun,” Lloyd said. “It has been an entirely new experience. We have been preparing for our competitions since mid August and practicing four to five days a week, including lifts and game days.”
“Competing in NAIA is definitely a whole new ballgame,” she added. “The scoresheets focus on every technical aspect of each pyramid, basket, and stunt; so that has been a learning experience. My teammates have been so great at adjusting to changes and making things work, no matter what. We have all learned a lot about each other this season, and a lot about the sport of cheerleading too.”
The Fighting Saints team not only made history in the program at Carroll College but also for the state of Montana as the first competitive Montana NAIA team. In addition to competing in North Dakota, Carroll Cheer also recently attended the Northwestern two-day invitational, in Orange City, Iowa.
NAIA competitions are scored based on performance in ten categories: the standing tumble, running tumble, partner stunts/group stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, jumps, choreography, degree of difficulty, overall effect, and the perfection of routine. Each of these groups is worth points and the teams with the highest scores are ranked.
Maggie Pluhar, a junior psychology major from Cohagen, Montana, said team members are expected to “complete crazy stunts, move sharp, be strong, be flexible, and all with a smile and glitter.”
“Competitions are high-level athletics, and much of the judging consists of precision and the structure of skills, Pluhar said. “It takes a lot of time, preparation, and strength to achieve a good performance. This team has put in so much time and heart for our first year as an NAIA-sanctioned sport, for us to cheer for so many of the teams for Carroll it would be nice to get some recognition and support as well. Cheer has changed considerably over the years and truly there is nothing like it.”
