2008 Woodie Awards
Mustangs get cheerful
Karyn Gilbert
Issue date: 5/6/05 Section: Sports
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"That's why we got together with Suzanne," said Blandino. "To create a team."
Franco knew there used to be a cheer team, but was unsure what happened to it. After the Saturday, April 30, tryouts, she is excited about the new team that will cheer on the football and boys and girls basketball teams.
"With my understanding, they didn't have anyone to run the program," said Franco. "I think they'll be solid."
Blandino and Shaddix worked together a few weeks prior to the event to get the word out about tryouts.
They posted flyers all over campus, sat in a booth in the quad, telling anyone and everyone. Franco also sent a memorandum to all area schools to inform high school seniors that Delta was putting a team together.
"They helped out a lot, making signs, and handing out flyers," said Franco. "We notified all area high schools in our district."
With all the notices, 24 girls showed up for the tryout, some with high school experience, and some that have competed before, yet only 14 stayed around to tryout after learning the routine.
"It's a little disappointing. Jennifer and I worked very hard with handouts to get the word out," said Shaddix.
Some of the girls who stayed feared the others left because they thought they weren't good enough, but in the end it made everyone nervous.
"For them not to even try was discouraging for [the] other girls," said Blandino. "You never know until you try."
Like everyone else who showed up, Blandino and Shaddix were not on the team until they tried out.
"We're trying out just like anyone," said Blandino. "There's some really good girls. We should have a good team."
"They all are very determined," Shaddix added. "It brings opportunity to our squad."
Tianna Burse, a senior at Tokay High School who has cheered for two years, one year for Franklin and one for the Tigers, said she found out about the tryouts through a friend at Delta.
"I never knew, but I wondered if [Delta] had [a cheer team]," said Burse. "My friend, Rebecca Vang, told me there was tryouts and I was glad."
Elena Gomez, a senior at Linden High School, called up Delta to find out about their cheer team and was stunned to find out they didn't have one, but that there was tryouts coming up.
"I called out the college asking about a team," said Gomez. "My mom told me (they didn't have a team)."
Gomez came off the high of trying out for the Oakland Raiderettes, with the goal of becoming a Queen for the Sacramento Kings.
"It was based on beauty," said Gomez. "They had 500 girls show up and for every eight, one would be picked (to go on). I was ready for it."
Gomez didn't make the team, but found out through her mother that she didn't make it because she didn't have her driver's license yet.
"I said, okay, see you next year," she said.
Not all the girls were getting the routine and would get nervous about the time in the "spotlight."
"I was stumbling early and after we did it all, I got it," said Burse.
The tryout was only closed to the four judges in the Marcopoulos Gym. Each girl had to do jumps, tumble, do a chant/cheer, and, finally, do the dance number they were taught.
Some said that the judges were smiling and inviting, making them at ease during their tryout, while others said they seemed stiff at times, but eventually opened up.
"When you do a certain facial expression, they enjoy watching you," said Shaddix.
"They made it comfortable. I felt like if I messed up they would have let me try again," Blandino added.
"I wasn't nervous," said Delta freshmen, Janeise Alexander. "It pumped me up that they were smiling."
After each girl returned to the locker room after their tryout, everyone would clap and cheer. This gave Juanita Gonzales, a senior at St. Mary's High School, hope, since she was the last to go.
"I had a lot of time to practice," she said. "Seeing everyone saying I did good or bad, but keeping a smile helped."
Since most of the girls were nervous, the judges let everyone line up in four lines to do the dance together, and then they made their final decisions.
"All the girls did a tremendous job and we look forward to an exciting football/basketball season next year," said Franco.
Five girls waited for the results, while the others went out to lunch.
"If the first year team is good, more will try out [later on], and as they see the kids [doing well] more will be interested," said Franco.
One more tryout will be held at the end of May. Look for flyers for time and location.
Nine made the 2005/2006 team. Janeise Alexander, Jennifer Blandino, Tianna Burse, Isabelle Collum, Jessica Glass, Elena Gomez, Juanita Gonzales, Kassandra Morrison, and Katherin Shaddix were the lucky picks in the first tryouts.