More than just the sidelines: NGU cheerleading’s year-long season
Sports Editor, Ian Johnson
Photo Courtesy of Ohana Studios
Out of the 21 sports teams that North Greenville University has, the cheerleading team is the hidden gem of the athletics program. While they are often seen on the sideline of football games and other sporting events, the cheerleaders also participate in their own competitions.
For the team, the preparation starts in the summer. During this time, the individual members of the team learn the cheers and dances for the football season. Once they get back to campus, they have to prepare the group routines.
“They have to have multiple cheers, multiple dances. You’ve got to get stunt groups together,” said Rockey Gaines, head coach. “Pyramids, baskets and figure out how the game day scenario works.”
Around November and December, the team begins preparing their choreography for competitions while also cheering at basketball games. The cheer team participates in two competitions in the Spring. They compete in the Conference Carolinas Spirit Championships in March and the NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship in April.
“My number one goal ever since my freshman year is to get to NCA with NGU,” said Savannah Claro, junior.
The NCA Collegiate Cheer Championship brings over 1,000 teams from over 450 colleges across all NCAA divisions. The competition is hosted in Daytona Beach, Florida, and takes place from April 8-10 in 2027.
After competitions, the team holds tryouts in May before the cycle begins once again.
“We are technically a full-year sport. There is no off season for us until the summer,” said Gaines.
The cheer program is led by Gaines, who is in his third season in charge of the team. Gaines cheered competitively until he was 25, when he leaned more into coaching. He has 25 years of coaching experience across recreational, college, high school and all-star cheer. He originally joined NGU’s program as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach in 2024.
“I want to see this program go from what it was to something totally different,” said Gaines. “I know there’s potential to grow this program in a way that it has never been before.”
The biggest misconception about cheerleading is that it’s not a sport. Gaines explained that the guys who are good in this sport are between 180 and 225 pounds. The guys throw girls 20 feet in the air and catch them safely. The girls are doing flips and balancing on the hands of others.
“If you truly believe that [cheer is not a sport], then go watch some competitions,” said Claro.
The team constantly overcomes difficulties as they prepare for competition. Their practice schedule ranges from six in the morning to sometimes 7 p.m. The practice locations also vary from the football field, the gym and sometimes even the gym lobby.
“It’s a big struggle when it comes to [practicing for] competition,” said Claro. “We need nine mats out to do our routine, and in the gym lobby we can only fit two half-size mats.”
While being at a private Christian university, a challenge is always funding, especially for a sport like cheerleading.
Despite the hurdles that the team faces, this group is very much like a family.
“We are all very community-driven, and throughout the hard times we are all family,” said Claro. “Like sisters, we argue with each other, but at the end of the day we’re still together.”
The team adds eight freshmen to the team, along with another newcomer. Gaines describes this group as “diverse, very diverse in skill sets.”
As the cheer team continues to improve and adapt, the sport continues to change every year. In other sports, the main aspects and rules have stayed the same for decades; cheer continues to evolve every year.
“Every year there is a new skill, the rules change, the score sheet changes every year; it’s different,” says Gaines.
The cheerleading team can be seen on the sidelines of home football games as they continue to prepare for competitions in the spring.
