Three cheers for PSU

It's almost 1 p.m.  and the second half of the Plymouth State University varsity cheer double session is about to get underway. Fourteen hopeful athletes file into Top Gun Gymnastics Academy with bright bows securely fastened to high ponies. They have sincere smiles, and an air of subtle determination as they start to stretch as a team, and mentally prepare themselves for another four hours of work. They wear tags numbering one through 15 because no one wanted to wear the unlucky number 13. Similarly, no one wants to remember the bad luck this team faced in its disappointing, frustrating 2008-09 season

Varsity Cheer has come a long way in the past decade at Plymouth State. In 2000, the then fledgling club team was taken over by long time N.H. coach Carrie Kiley. "They were just a club then, my husband was coaching Plymouth Football and they came to me asking for help" said Kiley, who was excited to bring her experience to their program.

The transition wasn't entirely simple, but it was immediately effective. Coach Kiley had to quickly learn to adapt her High School coaching experience to the more high-flying and exciting college level skill. With her enthusiasm and the steady influx of athletes, Coach Kiley, Athletic Director John Clark, and then PSU President  Donald Wharton took PSU Club Cheer and made it an official varsity sport in 2006.

PSU Cheer competed in at least three regional or national competitions a year, where they were highly competitive in Div III Collegiate Cheer. In 2006 PSU took 1st place at the New England Open Championships, and they sported a strong roster of between 12 and 20 girls each year. At the conclusion of the 2007-08 season, Carrie finally retired as head coach and became a local business owner, opening Top Gun Gymnastics.

The next year could be summed up as a year of turmoil and disappointment. According to Taylar Carr, who went out to cheer for her first and only season in 2008, felt that there was something to be desired. "The 2008-2009 cheer season I think was very unorganized" said Carr, "We just got a new coach and I don't think she clicked very well with the team and just wasn't the most fun."  In the end, after much effort, no progress could be made and the team was not able to compete that year.

All that has changed now, since Coach Erin Boylan took the job late in the season last year. "Taking over in 2009 was a great experience" says Boylan, who now coaches a team of ten with eyes on a second tryout on October 27th and 28th to add to their roster.  Coach Boylan also says in regards to the 2008 season that "I always teach my teams to focus on the present and not to look back on something, good or bad because that is in the past", which is exactly what the team is responding to.

They are definitely getting the benefit of organized coaching this year. "She sets a lot of goals, and sees a lot of potential in us" says four-year PSU Cheerleader Chandra Touch. It started with their new tryout process, which was very involved, including conditioning as well as skills practices, and then performing in front of a panel of judges.  Rissa Meyer, transfer student and former UNH Cheerleader attests that "PSU try outs were very organized", the successful sum of all of the aforementioned parts.  According to Meyer, "UNH [Cheer] and PSU [Cheer] are very different because UNH is a club whereas PSU is a sport", and she was quick to cite the amount of practice and conditioning that they  are committed to each week.

So as the girls take the mat under the direction of Coach Boylan, there's one phrase that is silently repeated among all of the hard working athletes- "building the program back up". They are athletic, they are hard working, well conditioned, and very excited about their opportunity to compete this year. Fans can look forward to seeing them at PSU's home varsity basketball games.