As Hild Bede Cheer Captain this year, Sol Lawes is my saviour. A perfect role model for my new male recruits; Sol has proved that cheerleading is far from a ‘girls thing’ and has definitely changed the image of cheerleading around Durham. A physics student, DJ, Captain of Trevs Cheer and a Diva, we couldn’t wait to interview this busy second-year student!
Hi Sol, tell us a bit about yourself. What do you study? What year are you in, and what college?
Hey, how’s it going? I am a second year physicist from Trevelyan College.
What’s your favourite thing about Durham?
That’s a hard question , but I’d have to say the thing that stands above the rest is the people! I love the range of people that I’ve been exposed to since coming to university.
We’ve heard that you’re into DJing, what kind of music do you like best?
Ahh, I hate answering this question, because I always feel like a cliché. But my favourite stuff to listen to and mix is deep house, garage and drum and bass. But I also like to listen to some more chilled out stuff too when I’m relaxing. I do enjoy the Durham nightlife too, a bit of cheese never hurt anybody!
What events do you DJ at?
I DJ a lot at Trevs but also do other colleges events such as Grey’s Informal Ball. I’m also part of Durham University DJ Society, who I have done live gigs for on Purple Radio. In fact, we have a gig this Thursday (29.10.2015) in collaboration with Hip Hip Society at Loft, which will be offering something a bit different to the usual Durham nightlife!
Photo Credit: Charlie Smith
How long have you been doing it for and how did you learn?
I’ve been DJing for about a year now. Just before I came to uni I bought some basic equipment and just got to it! With this sort of thing, practice makes perfect, so it’s just about putting in the work hours and finding out what works for you; trial and error. A few YouTube videos have helped expose me to different techniques too. I have a real love for music though, so I’m constantly listening to new songs that I’ve found from various places and thinking about ways I could work them into a set.
We also heard that you’re a cheerleader, who do you cheer for and what made you decide to join?
Haha! Well it all started off as a drunken dare during my freshers week, which resulted with me and a few friends going to a Trevs Cheer training practice and I immediately grew to it. I think what captured me about it, was the fact that I was able to get a really good work out, (lifting people can be pretty tiresome at times), but in a really social environment! I am now Captain of Trevs Cheer and am really looking forward to the year ahead. I’m also Social Sec for the Durham Divas co-ed squad this year too, (I’m pretty sure I do more cheerleading at uni than physics). I joined the squad during the first term of my first year; a friend told me about it, so I went along to try outs and loved it! I’ve met some of my closest friends through cheer, so I’m very glad that I tried something new.
What sort of things do you do, as a guy, in cheerleading routines?
We tend to be bases, so essentially, we do the lifting, throwing and catching. Although we do occasionally get lifted in the air during training! My favourite part of cheer is the stunting, when we’re lifting and throwing someone, but there is also dance and various other bits of gymnastics which the whole squad is involved in and I really enjoy these too…especially the dance, I like to get sassy! Since being in the team I’ve been fortunate enough to receive gymnastics coaching and develop skills that I never would have had an opportunity to develop had I not done cheer.
Why is it beneficial to the squad to have guys in it?
It adds a different element having guys. We are able to bring some more strength to the table which means we are able to hit harder and more impressive stunts. We also provide a lot of support when people are learning or trying new stunts, we are able to provide a sturdy platform for them to develop their skills. I also think that it is beneficial having guys in the squad for moral. I believe that there are some really positive social benefits having a wider mix of people in the squad.
What do you enjoy the most about cheerleading?
I really enjoy the physical side of it. Cheering for Trevs, the Co-ed Squad and also University Group Stunt means that I’m training a lot. Not only that but we do a lot of conditioning too which has helped me as a sportsman in general, my improved flexibility has really aided my squash game.
A lot of people say cheerleading is for ‘girls’, what do you think about that?
I think that when people say that, they’re imagining girls dancing around with pom pom’s at American Football games. That couldn’t be further from what we do. Cheer is essentially gymnastics, but instead of using aparatus, you’re using humans. This means that you have to working in complete synchronicity with everyone else in your group, and for that it doesn’t matter what gender you are.
What would you say to ‘cheerleading isn’t a sport’?
You clearly haven’t seen what cheerleading actually is, come along and try it, then we’ll see if you still think it isn’t a sport.
What’s your favourite cheerleading memory?
Competing at competitions with the whole squad probably wins this one. There aren’t many things that can match the thrill of competing in front of hundreds of people with the people that you have trained with all year for this moment.
Have you had any embarrassing cheerleading moments?
Well, at college comp, a friend and I had to wear some old female tops, (there wasn’t any spare uniform), so we went out in what were essentially crop tops! We thought we may as well go all the way though, so to top it off, we put bows in our hair too!
Sum up in a few words why other guys should join college or uni cheerleading?
If you’re looking to meet new people, do something a bit different or get a good work out, why not try cheer, it’s a lot less boring than a gym,
Cover Photo Credit: Charlie Smith