The MICDS Varsity Cheerleading team recently hosted a cheer clinic for 35 excited Beasley friends. The squad rebooted this tradition to share their love of cheer with the next generation of athletes.
During the two-day clinic, students rotated through small groups with the varsity squad, learning cheers, including the mechanics of a nice, loud cheer clap, a thigh-stand tripod stunt, a split jump, and choreographed dance moves.
Assistant Varsity Coach Katherine Fraley ’15 said, “This is the first time we’ve done the mini cheer clinic in four or five years. It’s awesome to have so many students. Many of our cheerleaders over the years remember doing it in Beasley and keep talking about it. Since we had enough cheerleaders on varsity this year, we have a great ratio of cheerleaders to Beasley students to make us comfortable enough to bring it back. It’s been really fun to see the Upper School students become mentors to the younger students and form relationships with them. The sheer number of students who signed up was overwhelmingly positive, and it’s been super fun.”
Senior Captain Jada Greer ’24 enjoyed working with the Mini Rams and discovered that, ironically, clapping (a Cheer staple) was the most effective at gaining the younger students’ focus and attention. She said, “I absolutely loved working with the Mini Rams. It was definitely a challenge because with high school cheerleaders, you can ask them to be quiet, but with elementary school kids, you have to clap to a beat for them to repeat—which we did not discover until we were a day in! There were also many kids to work with, but they were all amazing (as long as we kept the snacks coming.)”
“I am so proud of them for pushing through being a little tired or hungry and putting out a very good routine! Everyone was flexible, friendly, and willing to try something new. At one point, we had to tell them to stop practicing and pay attention. I’m sure our coaches wish they had to make us stop practicing too much!”
“This is an experience I wish I’d had when I was little, and I am looking forward to seeing the program evolve now that it is starting back up. Even more than that, I look forward to returning for Homecoming as an alum and seeing some of our Mini Rams as high school cheerleaders!”
Senior Captain Haya Hussain ’24 added, “I was assigned to the dance station and was able to teach the little kids a sequence of three 8-counts that they would perform at the game. It was a simple, sassy dance that Jada and I choreographed and memorized. I also had to learn it mirrored so I could queue the kids as they performed, and there were so many more pieces of effort and preparation that went into the Mini Rams Clinic. I truly admire the work and care that the cheerleaders and coaches put in. For example, we spent an hour before our game a few days in advance tying ribbons on the shirts we distributed, we all learned the dance and mirrored cheers, and overall, we were taking many steps in anticipation of the Mini Rams Clinic.”
“It was also just a wonderful way to bond with the rest of the school. Being a JK-12 school, it is definitely difficult for all the grades to connect, but opportunities like this really bring the school together. This connectivity and sense of community is exactly what our school is about—allowing children to see the endless opportunities they have in their future. I loved seeing the joy and excitement on these kids’ faces, and there was so much promising talent at these young ages that the high school cheer program would be lucky to have. It was also so rewarding to see students come in shy and then develop connections with their group leaders and the cheerleaders teaching them cheers, dances, stunting, and jumps. You could really see the development of self-confidence, and that is not something everyone gets to experience or see.”
“In terms of challenges, we definitely had to work around the Mini Rams’ exhaustion. While they were excited and wanted to cheer, they had also just come from eight-hour school days, and that is a big feat and accomplishment when you’re four to seven years old! Regardless, they showed so much enthusiasm, had the best performance, and tried their best throughout the entire experience, and I am so proud of their patience and hard work.”
“I started to cheer in high school and had never cheered before, and we currently have cheerleaders from so many different backgrounds: lacrosse, golf, dance, and more. The Mini Rams Clinic allows students with different interests to explore their passions early on and bond with the Upper School despite the difference in age, and I think that is the best part of the clinic.”
On the final day, the entire squad—35 strong—performed at halftime during the Girls Varsity Basketball game. The captive audience was wowed by their sharp moves, stellar jumps and stunts, and, of course, their joyful faces.
Varsity Head Coach Emilee Lemp Ivie ’06 shared, “We jumped at the opportunity to bridge the Lower School to Upper School, and it’s nice to bring back this clinic! Some younger students have watched the varsity cheer squad at football games, so it’s been great to bring them all together. We don’t have them doing push-ups just yet, but be on the lookout for a fall clinic with a performance at the Paint it Pink game for cancer awareness. It will be a fun October!”
Put your hands together for the future of cheerleading, little Rams!