Emerson Cheerleading Squad Makes Its Mark

Starting a cheerleading squad at Emerson was a goal two juniors had only dreamed of accomplishing. That is, until they realized Emerson’s most fantastical sport already had a squad of its own.

“When I found out the Quidditch team had a cheerleading team, I was like, you know what, that’s the last straw,” said Brittany Perro, a Communication Studies major, Class of 2011. “I was like, Kayla, we need to do this.”

Perro and Kayla Harrity, a Broadcast Journalism major, Class of 2011 – who competed against each other as cheerleading captains at different high schools in central Massachusetts – packed an extra punch of pride at Emerson when they founded a spirit squad last fall.

After gaining interest through a Facebook group, spreading the word at an information session and holding try-outs at which no one was cut, the squad auditioned for the college’s athletics department.

“The cool thing was that we were asking them to volunteer for something that they had no idea what the outcome would be,” Perro said. “They had no idea if we would make it through auditions and be able to perform, however, the girls and the one boy who said they wanted to commit – they really committed.”

The co-captains’ fondest memory of the squad’s accomplishments so far was when it auditioned for the athletics department. After their nerves diminished and the pride of performing had sunk in, some squad members shed tears out of excitement, Harrity said.

“I knew that even if we weren’t going to be cheerleaders, we had impacted people to do something new and be part of a team and work really hard together,” Harrity said.

The squad, which is made up of 13 women and one man of varying skills levels, practices twice a week and performs at men’s and women’s basketball games. It’s already a “cohesive unit,” though it consists of “the most random group of people you can find on this campus,” Perro joked.

Because Emerson has not recognized the squad as an athletic club or insured it, the team cannot yet call itself the “Emerson Lions Cheerleading Squad.” For now, the “spirit squad” technically can’t perform the cheerleading stunts it had originally hoped to show, Perro said. Even so, the squad has already made its mark on the Emerson campus.

“There’s been much more crowd participation, and I love to think it was [the squad’s] doing,” Harrity said.

It’s getting noticed elsewhere, too. Because the squad’s adviser has some sweet connections, its members will have the opportunity to perform during half time at a Boston Blazer’s lacrosse game at the TD Garden, Harrity said.

The squad hopes to gain recognition as a campus organization through the Student Government Association, Perro said. For now, interest in the squad remains strong. Prospective students have been contacting the co-captains for more information.

“Just to know that this is going to be going somewhere and that it’s not going to end when we leave – that makes me so happy,” Perro said. “I’m very hopeful for this team, and I think it’s going to be something nobody ever expected.”