This week Her Campus had the opportunity to sit down with Meghan Mesojedec to discuss her experiences as a student-athlete on the cheer team here at the University of Michigan. Meghan is from Wixom, Michigan and a student in the School of Kinesiology. She is planning on majoring in Sports Management and minoring in Spanish.
Her Campus: Since Halloween has officially begun, what’s your favorite Halloween candy and favorite Halloween costume that you’ve ever dressed in?
Meghan Mesojedec:“I’d have to say Reese’s peanut butter cups, I can’t resist them. My favorite costume was probably when I was a bunny in first grade. I dressed in a bunny onesie and it was so cute and comfy.”
HC: How did you start getting into cheer?
MM: “I was a competitive gymnast for the majority of my life. In 6th grade, I started getting involved in other things like theatre and cheer. I’ve been cheering ever since 6th grade. It takes a lot of discipline But I fell in love with it. I did it all throughout high school and knew I wanted to continue to perform in college.”
HC: How did you tryout for the team?
MM: I tried out the spring of my senior year. Basically, you send in a packet with information of skills and then you choose a date. The tryout was pretty laidback because the coaches understand how nervous everyone is. During the tryout, you show your tumbling skills, stunting skills, and your jumps. The anticipation was the worst part but the tryouts ended up being so much fun that I wanted to stay the whole time. Being there definitely got me even more excited to go to Michigan. I had to wait about a week and a half which was the worst part, but when I got the email I was sitting in class and I freaked out! All my friends and peers starting cheering, it was amazing.
HC: What’s it like being on an athletic team at Michigan?
MM: Being on the team is a huge commitment but definitely worth it. I have practice Monday through Thursday every week for about 2 hours each day. I have two required lifting sessions two days a week that are scheduled in the mornings. First semester as a freshman was really hard balancing the team with school work and a social life. I definitely had to sacrifice going out in order to get my school work done. Now that I got the jist of it, this year has been easier balancing my time but last year was a big adjustment.
HC: What are your team dynamics?
MM: There are forty students on the team, twenty girls and twenty boys. The most important aspect of being on the team is comfortability. It’s really important that everyone feels comfortable sharing their opinions and feeling as though their voice is heard to each member on the team, as well as your coaching staff. We all like to have fun together along with focusing and completing goals as a team. We need to support each other because everyone works better in a welcoming and respectful atmosphere.
HC: How often do you travel?
MM: I have traveled twice this year so far. We performed at Purdue and Indiana. Usually people will travel twice during football season and then we all go to nationals in April in Daytona which is so awesome.
HC: Is your team a tight knit group?
MM: Yes for sure. We have a ton of fun together and try to make it so the newbies feel very welcomed as soon as they come in.
HC: How does school scheduling work?
MM: The cheer team is looked at as a NCAA sport so we get priority scheduling. They try to work as best as you can to revolve your schedule around practice times. Usually you are able to, but sometimes you have to go to class instead of practice. School always comes first though.
Images coutesy of: Meghan Mesojedec