By Soven Bery ’15, Staff Writer

Newark Academy is blessed with the resources to boast a broad and varied athletic program of 23 different sports teams. However, one program remains noticeably missing: cheerleading. Whether this is for the better or worse is up for debate in the school community.

“I think it would be great if Newark Academy could have a cheer team to support our programs that do not get as much attention, like the football team,” said Elias Neibart ’16, backup quarterback for the Minutemen. Athletic Director Mr. Gilbreath, supports that notion, but is also realistic. He noted that many cheerleading squads focus around football teams or the successful soccer program — both fall season sports — and said, “we have the greatest number of offerings for young ladies, in terms of sports, in the fall season.” Indeed, the Academy offers five women’s teams in the first athletic trimester: Volleyball, Soccer, Field Hockey, Tennis and Cross Country. “It is tough to find enough girls to populate all those programs and now throw cheerleading in the mix and it becomes a tough squad to fill. I think that is the biggest problem,” continued Gilbreath.

Zach Persing ’15, an involved member of the Red Army, said, “at a small school like NA, there are going to be certain programs that lack numbers. I do not believe there is an anti-cheerleading sentiment at NA, just a lack of interest.” Mr. Gilbreath did note that if there were a groundswell of students that wanted to cheer, than the Athletic Department would definitely consider it. However, that hasn’t happened yet.

Even if a number of people pushed for a cheerleading squad, there would be many more hurdles to jump, including a popular view that cheerleading is somewhat sexist. “There will be discussion over what the ramifications of girls cheering for boys will be,” said Mr. Gilbreath. Corynne Sarrett ’15 understands this point of view, but said, “I hate to hear people call cheerleading degrading to women because I think it is a traditional sport that’s just been given a bad reputation. Not all cheerleaders are wild party chicks, they’re dedicated athletes.” However, Tyler Park ’14, a star running back and a valuable member of the successful baseball team, doesn’t completely agree. “Cheerleading can be demeaning to girls, and it often does not add much to the atmosphere of a game. It isn’t very important that we have cheerleaders.”

Liz Vogel ’13, leader of the Gay Straight Alliance, said that, “having a cheerleading squad is something potentially dangerous because I would be really disappointed if people started to see it as something ‘only for girls’ or as something to poke fun at. I’m not at all against the idea of a cheer squad for NA so long as it provides an equal opportunity to all genders.”

Jenna Tobey ’15, a proponent of cheerleading, points to the increase in support and school spirit that would come from a squad mainly focused on doing just that. She said, “we need music, dancing and halftime shows at our sporting events to make it more than just a game. A big part of the American High School scene is going to basketball or football games on the weekends. Our school spirit would go up if we had someone to pump up the crowd and our players. I also think that our teams will do much better if we have cheerleaders on the sidelines as they do indeed attract more spectators.”

Mr. Gilbreath’s idea to turn athletic events into rocking spectacles is a bit different. He isn’t anti-cheerleading, but he believes the Academy’s impressive dance program would provide more spirit and entertainment to attract fans. He believes a dance team would be more appropriate at Newark Academy as it would keep with the culture of the school, and encourage a rare but valuable cross of the athletic and arts programs.

It is obvious that the creation of a cheerleading squad could have benefits, but those would not come without controversy. Overall, perhaps the most damning argument against the movement for a team is the serious question of its usefulness. If enough people can voice their opinion and prove the value of beginning a team, Mr. Gilbreath will gladly act. But that collection of support will be hard to find, and perhaps even harder to justify.