Let’s Meet The 2021 Big 33 Cheer Squad!
Written by: Billy Splain on April 15, 2021.
It’s time to meet the 2021 Big 33 Cheer squad. But first, we talk about the cheer teams with Big 33 cheer coordinator Carolyn Raup, who has the lead in putting the teams together. Carolyn has held the task of bringing in the cheer squad since 2014. “My daughter was a cheerleader so I think it’s fun to be around the cheerleaders” Carolyn said about why she likes the job. It’s not an easy job bringing in cheerleaders from different programs as you can imagine. “The difficulty comes from what type of program they come from. Sometimes programs aren’t very rigid where this is a bit more intense.”
The selection process is more by word of mouth. Most teams in the area know about the opportunity. “Sometimes the coach might say “hey this might be a great opportunity for you” and then I get a chance to tell them a little bit more about the program and the game. The biggest thing for them is when we get to pair them with their special needs Buddy. That’s when I think it hits them that like, oh wow! this is more than just cheering at a football game. When we’re pairing the cheerleaders with their buddies, sometimes the buddy will request a cheerleader just because they’re from the same school.”
Bailey Carroll comes from Red Land High School and will be on the PA squad. “I was very excited when they told me I was selected for the team. I’m really looking forward to being with cheerleaders I’ve never cheered with before and just having a whole new cheer experience. Bailey didn’t know much about the game itself, but when she found out she was really excited. “That’s amazing about the super bowl streak and how big of a deal this is. My parents were also very excited to hear the news and they’re looking forward to seeing me cheer again.” Bailey is heading to Kutztown University. She someday would like to be a child welfare social worker.
The cheer program isn’t where she’d like it to be, but Raup would like to see that change. “We’d love for this to be a statewide thing. Right now we try to get them from within driving distance only because we don’t house them. Some are from around 2-3 hours away. For a couple of years we had other cheerleaders families host those who drive longer distances. I think the coaches would love to have this thing be big enough where we can have competitions all over the state, kinda like the football teams. The other thing is we’d love to bring cheerleaders in from Maryland. We’d love to find a sponsor to help us do that. We’d have the elite cheerleaders from PA and from Maryland.”
If you’d like to know more about how to get on the squad next year, contact Carolyn. craup@big33.org
Ok, time to meet the 2021 Big 33 Cheer Teams:
The Big 33 Cheer Teams Staff:
Choreographers: Scott and Kim Braasch Head Cheer Coach: Alanna Fox Cheer Coordinator: Carolyn Raup
Coaches: Rena Fox; Tammy Schuster; Holly Boger; Destinie Belton-Hills; Tyler Braasch; Felicia Sirianni
CHEER TEAM PENNSYLVANIA
