Nov. 1, 2006

The NJC cheerleading program is quickly becoming a selling point to high school cheerleaders who are serious about cheering at the college level.

But high school student-athletes lacking in work-ethic need not apply. With 6 a.m. practices and a commitment to improving the program, head coach Katie Beamer is injecting new energy into NJC cheerleading.

"A lot of my time goes into brainstorming ways to improve the whole program here at NJC," Beamer said. "I have a lot of ideas of things we need, things I have to do, and how to bring in more talented cheerleaders every year."

As a graduate of NJC, Beamer has a head start in building a program that fits into the NJC athletics philosophy and the Sterling community.

"I thought NJC would be a perfect opportunity for me," Beamer said. "I know how things work here, and I felt I fit right in."

Beamer immediately set a standard of work-ethic by scheduling practices before dawn.

"Six o'clock in the morning is the only time we can get together as a whole," she said. "It's impossible to make a good squad when not everyone is at practice. It was important for me to find a time when we could all make it."

Beamer says NJC professors should be endeared to the cheerleaders' practice schedule because it promotes class attendance.

"I know that sometimes in college it's hard to get up in the morning and get going. I thought six a.m. practice might help get their days started so they could get things done and make it to class."

This approach to the student-athlete should help NJC cheerleading earn the sought-after respect that so-often eludes the sport. Yet in spite of youth and high school cheer squads competing all over the country on an extremely intense level, the public perception of a cheerleader never seems to change.

"There is a stereotype that all cheerleaders are ditsy and annoying," Beamer said. "But a lot of times, these girls are some of the smartest people I know. They have a different, strong enthusiasm in life which makes them go-getters."

Beamer also said that a cheerleader's necessity for conditioning and detailed preparation is often missed by the average sports fan.

"Cheerleaders work just as hard as a lot of other athletes while fighting off a bad wrap, working, going to school and having a social life. A lot of people that make a snap judgment about cheerleading don't know what all goes into it or being good at it."

Beamer's top priority for the NJC cheerleading program is to slowly change this perception in order to move more NJC student-athletes to four-year schools and four-year degrees.

"This year my goal is to improve the seriousness of the program," she said. "I want the squad to start competing, and this turns cheerleading into a whole different ballgame. It makes them stronger performers and will help them move on to four-year colleges where there are great scholarships to be had."