Thunderwolf cheerleaders enthusiastic about new season

October 29th, 2007 by Kristina Jojola

Enthusiasm was high during the Thursday night practice of the Thunderwolf cheerleaders.
The team is composed of five men and 17 women. The team captain Laurie Pierce is aided by her co-captains Matt Lamunyan, Amy Maldonado and Krystal Doyle.

Coaching the team this year is Michelle Mohnhaupt. She is the returning coach from last year.

Mohnhaupt cheered all throughout high school and was co-captain of her team at Evergreen High School her senior year.

She continued her cheer career when she became the director of the youth cheerleading program at the YMCA for a year before cheering for the Thunderwolves.
Following that Mohnhaupt became coach of the team she cheered for her sophomore year at CSU-Pueblo.

“This is a great experience. If it was a full time job I’d do it forever,” Mohnhaupt said. “Everyday I say I love this job, even despite all the stress that comes along with it.”

This semester the team is practicing at Dolores Huerta Prepatory High School because Massari Arena is under renovation.

The high school is fully equipped with a spring gymnastics floor. With help from a close friend Mohnhaupt was able to contact the high school.

The cheer team was granted permission to utilize the practice area along with all its equipment.

“We were really lucky to be given this area to practice,” Mohnhaupt said. “If we weren’t donated this space we would have had no where to go.”

The Thunderwolf cheer team has been working hard to really show off its talent thanks to the provided practice space.

The team that is composed of only seven upper-classmen and 15 freshmen has a lot of young new talent.

Most of this year’s cheerleaders are new to the team. Only six are returning to the squad from the previous year. For most teams this would seem like a challenge, but the Thunderwolves are optimistic.

Cassie Brunson, a sophomore who is cheering for the Thunderwolves for her first year, spoke enthusiastically about the team.

All the new-comers bring a new light to the team, Brunson said. There are a lot of new ideas and creativity, and there is a lot of new talent.

Cheerleader Eric Ramos agreed. He said the team is doing well so far because everyone is just starting out and learning to work with each other.

Everyone is working well together, Ramos said.

On a scale of one-to-ten, Mohnhaupt said she would rate the team’s talent level at a nine this year.

It is nice to see the talent that the athletes are bringing this year, Mohnhaupt said. Compared to last year there is a lot of experience, and most of the cheerleaders know what to do and what is going on.

During try-outs Mohnhaupt said she was looking for basic skills as well as drive and a desire to be on the team.

As a result, Mohnhaupt composed a team of athletes of all skill levels from all over. There is even one international athlete on the team.

Chris Anguay from South Korea is cheering for the Thunderwolves this year. He cheered for one year in South Korea and was urged by a friend to join the team this year.

“We could use improvement, but we are fast learners. Everyone is trying hard, and I think we will be really good,” Anguay said

The team is putting forth a lot of effort this year.

The team is hard at work practicing jumps, cheers and stunts for upcoming performances.

Aside from practice the cheerleaders are required to maintain a 2.5 GPA and meet the community service requirements that each team member must fulfill.

“We are definitely pushing the limits this year,” Mohnhaupt said.

Pushing the limits is not an understatement.

Cheerleader Ashley Maroney has to take a small break this season due to a recent injury.

Maroney pulled a ligament in her right arm while trying to perform a difficult stunt.
“These things happen,” Mohnhaupt said. “We just have to learn from our mistakes and move on.”

The cheer team will be performing at various sporting events, including soccer, volleyball and basketball. They are also anxiously waiting to cheer for next year’s football team.

The team is training hard to begin competitions. They are hoping to compete in Las Vegas this spring, and they are currently looking in to entering more competitions throughout the year.

Our biggest goal is to cheer on a competitive level, Mohnhaupt said. The team has set high expectations for themselves, and they push themselves to meet them.

Mohnhaupt and Pierce agreed that success won’t come right away. However, Pierce said that she is optimistic the talent of the team will start to come together soon.

We will surprise people this year, Pierce said. We are going to be good.

In the words of the team’s slogan, “I’m a movement by myself, but we’re a force when we’re together.” The Thunderwolf cheer team is ready to show everyone what they’ve got.

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