Sept. 6, 2002

Lifting the Spirit of George

Spirit Squad Tryouts Slated for Sept. 9

By Brian Krause

Adam Zambuto and Seth Wong love to spend their Friday nights picking up girls — seven feet in the air. They can do it with one hand.

Zambuto and Wong are part of an elite group of GW athletes whose energy and intensity brings Smith Center fans roaring to their feet. However, these students often find themselves overshadowed by the teams they support.

You’ve probably seen them perform dozens of times and never even given it a second thought. But then, who really goes to basketball games to watch the cheerleaders?

“Nobody ever says the cheerleaders were great, but they talk about how the basketball team did,” Wong says.

More at ease in the air than on the ground, Wong is the squad’s aerial tactician. A gymnast for more than 15 years and a diver in high school, his acrobatic prowess seems to defy gravity.

“There are many stereotypes surrounding male cheerleaders that say it’s effeminate,” says Wong. “People see cheerleading as sissy because of the way it’s portrayed on TV and in the movies.”

Originally intending to join the crew team, Wong’s rowing aspirations sank when he was only offered a position as coxswain. Still wanting to remain physically active, a friend on the cheerleading squad convinced him to give it a try.

“When I was in high school, I never really got respect for doing gymnastics,” says Wong. “But with cheerleading I realized I would have the opportunity to do gymnastics in front of the entire school.

“You have to be in exceptional shape to throw a girl in the air or to even yell for a whole game,” adds Wong. “Cheerleading is not for the weak.”

Hardly “sissies” and anything but weak, the men on the Spirit Squad are serious athletes from a wide range of different sports looking to find their niche. Many played sports in high school that are not offered at GW, such as football, wrestling, and gymnastics, and have found cheerleading a fantastic way to utilize their talents while staying physically fit.

Weighing in at 230 pounds of lean muscle, Zambuto is not the peppy, pompom-shaking type of cheerleader seen on Saturday Night Live. A former starting offensive end/defensive tackle, this ex-football player doesn’t like being told he is not an athlete.

“People often say to me, ‘You couldn’t play a real sport,’” says Zambuto, who benches 260 pounds. “I’d like to see you toss a girl over your head and catch her with one hand. It’s not an easy thing to do. I challenge any guy to try cheerleading who doesn’t think it’s a sport.”

Physically demanding, the cheerleader’s rigorous practice schedule can take its toll. Working out with the team and lifting weights five days a week has left Zambuto with chronic sciatica problems.

“We work hard, we train hard, and we get hurt hard,” says Zambuto.

Not only responsible for attending team practices, the cheerleaders must also arrive at basketball games two hours before tip-off. They sacrifice spending Thanksgivings and Spring Breaks with their families, and they must attend training camp in August, too. This year’s mandatory information meeting for new spirit program members is slated for Sept. 9 at 6 pm in the Smith Center auxiliary gym.

“This team’s biggest strength is its determination and its work ethic,” says Nicole Macchione, in her third year as cheerleading coach and spirit program coordinator. “Ninety-eight percent of the male participants come in with no experience. They even stick around after practice is over and they’re really determined to be a better squad.”

A cheerleader herself for over eight years, Macchione led this inexperienced squad to the NCAA National Cheerleading Competition in Daytona, FL, this past April for the first time in years. The squad placed 11th out of 21 teams at the competition, despite a fluke accident.

“We were just running the routine and one of the girls landed wrong and broke her clavicle the morning of the competition,” Macchione says. “We had to redo everything that we had been practicing since October.

“Going to nationals was a real source of motivation,” adds Macchione. “They saw what it is like at that higher level and they want to maintain that. In three years we will be a group to contend with.”

Volleyball Serves Up Three for 2002
The Colonials volleyball program added three key freshman to a squad that finished last season 6-18 overall and 5-11 in the Atlantic 10 conference. Abigail Hatter, Shannon Parks, and Lindsey Vernand join GW head coach Jojit Coronel and the rest of the Colonials team this fall

Hatter, a middle blocker from nearby Manassas, VA, was a standout at Forest Park High School where she earned 2001 All-Area Player of the Year honors as a senior. She also was named First Team All-District and All-Area for 2001 as she led her team to the Virginia state quarterfinals.

Parks, middle hitter from Marietta, GA, was a standout high school player as well as a member of the Atlanta Juniors Volleyball Club where she was coached by GW Hall of Famer Anna Bush ('87). Parks was named the 2001 Georgia Player of the Year.

Vernand, a 6-foot outside hitter from Huntington Beach, CA, was the 2001 High School Athlete of the Season for 2001. She is a three-year scholar-athlete who has maintained a 4.0 GPA, while playing for Laguna Beach volley ball club, one of the top club teams.

 

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu

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