WESTFIELD-As Westfield Youth Cheer members gear up for competition later this month, Westfield State University cheerleaders recently passed on some pointers which could give them an edge.
Westfield State University cheerleaders have been sharing their expertise on stunting exercises with Westfield Youth Cheer members. (Submitted photo)
The annual Western Massachusetts Cheer Expo is slated Oct. 13 at the Bellamy Middle School in Chicopee and the public is welcome to attend and support the cheerleaders from the surrounding cities and towns, according to Michelle Kotarski, director of Westfield Youth Cheer.
“Teamwork” is a central theme for Westfield Youth Cheer – from its leaders to the cheerleaders themselves.
“While I hold the official board position with the Westfield Youth Football and Cheer program, we work together as a team,” said Michelle Kotarski of her assistant cheer director Meridith Salois. “There is nothing we do or say without discussing with each other.”
Both women have daughters in the program so it was a natural fit for them to become more involved with the organization.
“Meridith and I worked together during last season’s expo planning and volunteered as team parents for our children’s squads,” said Kotarski. “When the previous director decided to not return, we both felt we could work together to continue to make this a great program for the children. It is also a nice way for us to spend time with our daughters doing something they enjoy.”
Salois said teamwork was also exhibited recently when Westfield State cheerleaders visited two practices to share their expertise with Westfield Youth Cheer members.
“Having this collaboration with Westfield State in our community is invaluable,” said Salois. “Younger kids always look up to older kids and young adults. Having the Westfield State University cheerleaders at our practices shows our cheerleaders the true meaning of helping each other out and giving back to the community in which you live or work.”
Kotarski echoed those sentiments.
“The Westfield State cheerleaders have helped reinforce safe stunting and have shown them tricks to help them go up into a stunt,” said Kotarski. “Our group was able to see how important it is to trust each other while doing stunts and how to problem solve a particular lift or stunt together as a group.”
“It is one thing for us to tell them about stunts, but when they actually see the Westfield State cheerleaders using those tools they really grasp the importance of it,” added Salois.
The idea for the collaboration started with Danielle Oldread, now entering her sixth year as head cheering coach at Westfield State.
“Previously we had worked with Westfield Youth Cheer on a tiny clinic and knew we wanted to do more,” said Oldread. “During the two practices recently we demonstrated stunting because it is difficult and we wanted to make sure the cheerleaders were doing it correctly so they would be safe and improve their skills.”
During the practices, Oldread invited her cheerleaders to also share their passion for cheerleading with Westfield Youth Cheer members.
“My cheerleaders really liked the experience,” said Oldread. “A lot of the cheerleaders will be teachers so the experience of teaching was important, as well as sharing skills that Westfield Youth Cheer members might not have gotten on their own.”
Westfield Youth Cheer members were also energized after spending time with the Westfield State cheerleaders.
“They were really nice,” said Christina Peterson, 11, who attends Westfield Intermediate School. “We learned stunting, tumbling and cradling which helped made our stunts better.”
Lexi Monczka, 14, a student at the Southwick-Tolland Regional High School, agreed.
“It was really fun learning technique tricks for stunting,” said Monczka. “They also helped us with parts of our routines. I hope they come back because they could help us to be tighter with our cheers and dances.”
Breanna McNamara, 10, a student at Highland Elementary School, agreed.
“After the cheerleaders taught us about stunting, our skills were better,” said McNamara. “They also taught us how to stay sharp and work on our timing. I hope they come back because I want to show them my basket that I have been working on with my coaches and friends.”
While this collaboration is in its early stages, Oldread will be working with Kotarski and Salois for future sessions.
“We hope to work more often with Westfield Youth Cheer, including in the spring,” said Oldread, adding, “it is important to give back to the community.”
