Bringing It to Nationals

Former Harvard cheerleader Franklin D. Roosevelt, Class of 1904, would be proud. After sustaining injuries and disappointment in their first competition in March (following a 20-year competition drought), the Harvard cheerleading team stunted their way to victory at the recent Minute-Man Mass Championship in Washington, D.C., earning the squad of 19 the title of “Grand Champions.”

But the cheerleading team’s path to victory has not been a flawless one. The team acknowledges that for many, the term “Harvard cheerleader” is the ultimate oxymoron. Cheerleader Cassie E. Snow ’10 describes spectators’ reactions as, “Oh my god, Harvard has a cheerleading squad?! Oh my God, they have a GOOD cheerleading squad!”

Besides general stereotypes and biases working against them, the cheerleading squad also had to deal with more concrete, technical issues, such as limited access to practice facilities and a shortage in funding—both of which presented major obstacles in the path to national competition. Coach Kristin Capasso commented on these hurdles, saying cheerleading is “not a priority on Harvard’s campus,” despite the alumni and fans that “recognize the talent level of the team.”

And not only are the Harvard views of cheerleading usually incorrect, the views exacerbated by pop-culture tend to be false as well. Catty competition à la “Bring It On” does not occur in the real world of college cheerleading; team members say that, in general, the competition is friendly.

Now that Harvard’s cheerleading team’s presence is being felt, Capasso says she hopes to open new doors for an entire segment of the student-athlete population. FM hopes this means we’ll be seeing our very own president with pompoms at the next football game.