After a year-long hiatus, RWU Cheer is back and ready to debut its new and improved team.

The Hawks last competed during the 2017-2018 academic year, at a competition in April of 2018. This competition was the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) College Nationals in Daytona, Florida.

Shortly after this, other conflicts arose for the cheer coach, who vacated the position. Due to the fact that club coaches are part-time positions and therefore do not pay very well, the position has been left vacant for the past two semesters.

But starting in fall 2019, the cheer team will start practicing and competing again as a club rather than a club sport. Instead of a formal coach, the club will have a faculty advisor. The position is currently filled by Adrianne Harris, director of student programs and leadership.

Rising seniors Amanda Benn and Sara Greco are set to be captains of the cheer team in the fall, to be assisted by a stunt instructor who is yet to be appointed.

Current leaders of the team, seniors Corrianna Wade and Miranda Cox, said their main focus for the team is to see it grow and succeed.

“Throughout the cheer season, the team gets very close as a lot of trust is required for stunting,” said Cox. “We’re like a family.”

Wade would agree with Cox in that the team is like family. 

“We need to be very close, because in cheerleading there’s no individual person. We all are on the team together and all use each other to get amped up and hyped to perform,” Wade said.